We Deserve Eachother
by SomeMightSay
Summary: Set very early in S1. There is no Anna and no TJ, so would Seth and Summer still end up together? Read it to find out. WARNING: strong language throughout and some scattered sexual content. COMPLETE BUT PLEASE STILL REVIEW!
1. Summer wants

**A/N - Hey everybody. I've been reading fanfics for years but never wrote one and I just thought it was about time I had a go so please read, hopefully enjoy and leave a review**

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Summer Roberts was used to getting what she wanted. All her life her daddy had showered her with dress after dress, purse after purse and car after car. Sometimes though she just wished that for once, he would shower her with love and affection instead of all that crap that she really didn't need. Don't get her wrong, she loved playing the role of the spoilt rich bitch but she knew that deep down in her heart that was not who she wanted to be, although she'd never admit that to her so called 'friends'. What she wanted were parents who'd notice when she'd gone to school on a Tuesday morning and not returned until 4am on Saturday, what she had was an infinite credit limit for the Roberts bank of 'dad', and a pill-popping, gold-digging skank.

Yes there was a huge gap between what she secretly wanted and what she had and it was a gap that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to bridge, and she was beginning to give up on her hopes and dreams that she one day would. Summer also pined for a brother or sister, someone she could confide in but also someone that she could try and live her lost childhood through. Having such neglectful bastards as parents meant that she had had to grow up fast and if they would just provide her with a baby sibling, she would relish the opportunity to make sure this kid got to do all the things she'd missed out on because she had been too busy trying to cook her own dinner.

Summer wanted a best friend that wasn't a total drama queen and a raging alcoholic. She knew it wasn't Marissa's fault that she was a complete head case, that fully rested on the shoulders of her equally fucked up mother, but she couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved that she hadn't picked another girl to sit next to at lunch on her first day of school. She wanted a friend she could talk to about anything without being constantly interrupted with a whiny tirade of 'how shitty her life was'.

To sum it all up, she wanted everything Seth Cohen had, bar the massive geek factor and uncontrollable hair. She like the rest of her crowd, refused to acknowledge his existence but the truth is she had noticed him and how completely perfect his life seemed to be, well in her eyes anyway. The various functions and charity events she had attended along with the Cohen's had given her an insight as to what it would be like to have the family she had always dreamt of. Summer thought that aside from the constant abuse at school and absolutely no social life, the lucky bastard had it all.

He had the parents who obviously worshipped him but also made sure he was raised with all the right morals and knew the difference between right and wrong. He also had the brother he could always count on to have his back and be there when he needed someone to talk to. Not to mention the fact that this Ryan kid was also fiercely loyal and would most likely die before he let any thing bad happen to Seth. Ryan had only been with the Cohen's since the start of the summer, less than two months, but it was already plain for all to see that he was extremely dedicated to making sure no dumb jock ever hurt Seth again. So dedicated it was almost scary.

Summer knew that he also had a fucked up family situation back in Chino (EW), and now that his life had finally come good he was doing everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way. She couldn't say she blamed him, the lucky bastard. Yes, as much as she hated to admit it, Cohen had everything she ever wanted and the fact that the chances of her ever having it were rapidly fading away, made her completely and utterly despise him.

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'Summer…….SUMMER,' Holly shouted in her friend's ear to gain her attention. 'You enjoying the party?'

'What?' Summer replied as she tore her eyes away from Cohen and the kid from Chino who had walked about ten seconds before. She had been looking at them with longing, not sexual longing but a longing for the bond they had. Brothers, not by blood but that didn't seem to matter. She just wished that she had somebody, anybody that would be willing to forge a bond as strong as that with her.

'The party, what do you think of the party? Jeez Sum, what planet were you on then?'

'Sorry Holl. I was just thinking about how school is starting in two days and how our lives are gonna be totally crappy again. As always, the party kicks ass.'

'Yeah I totally know what you mean,' Marissa chimed in. 'I mean now that I found out about Luke the bastard going behind my back with that coke whore Jess, who's fingers are gonna keep me entertained in the back of calc?'

They all burst out laughing, including Marissa which obviously meant she either didn't give a shit about Luke cheating or she was already very drunk. It was likely to be the latter. Although Summer laughed with them, it was all a front. Over the past few months she had grown extremely tired of the repetitive bullshit that spewed out of her friend's mouths every day of the fucking week.

'Oh there's Ryan and Seth, I'm gonna go say hi,' Marissa said as she stumbled away.

Holly rolled her eyes, turned back to the group and said, 'God, I don't know how she can bear to live next door to them let alone be seen with them. One is like a total fucking psycho while the other is just the worlds biggest dork. I mean……..'

By this point Summer had zoned out, she just wasn't interested in the slightest. She'd heard it all before, hell she'd said it all before but after years of it, she couldn't even muster the effort to put on a façade and fake interest.

'Hey guys I'm not feeling too well, I'm gonna go for a walk so I'll see ya later,' Summer said. She just wanted away from the boring conversation, away from the bitches.

Holly gave her a smile that she could see right through and said, 'OK Sum see ya later, have fun.'

Summer just nodded and walked off. As she was walking away she heard Holly turn to the other girls and say 'God that girl is so fucking annoying sometimes it is unreal. I mean just because her mom upped and left with a toyboy four years ago she thinks it gives her the right to be a super bitch. I mean come on, get over it hoe.'

Summer could hear the other girls laughing and she couldn't help but smile as well. HOLLY had called HER a bitch in the rant. She knew Holly was just being Holly, a skank who talked about everybody behind their back, so she decided to not let it bother her.

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'Hey Ry, Seth,' Marissa said as she wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck from behind. Ryan swivelled round and said hey back while grinning sheepishly. Seth just rolled his eyes. He didn't understand why they couldn't just get a fucking move on and get together already, it was really starting to get boring.

'Hey Marissa, I'm gonna go for a walk so you guys can eat each other's faces in peace.' Marissa, still clinging to Ryan's neck, broke into fits of hysterical laughter, a telltale sign she was drunk. Ryan just shot him the legendary Atwood death glare. Before either of them could reply, Seth turned and headed towards the same pace he always ended up going when he came to Holly's parties, the beach.

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**A/N - So that was my first ever chapter, hope you liked it, please read & review**


	2. Oats to the rescue

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Summer was strolling down the beach at a comfortable pace, enjoying the cool pacific breeze running through her hair and across her face. She had taken her super expensive Dior heels off because they were like the most impractical shoes to walk on any surface, let alone sand. Her mind was drifting back to what she had heard Holly say about her.

It was true that her mother had just upped and left with a young, hot, rich guy and it'd been the talk of the town for about a week. However, Summer couldn't believe that Holly had said she should get over it. That was a new low, even for her. Just because it had taken everybody else five minutes to forget about it they shouldn't expect her to do the same. There was the small fact to take into consideration that whilst they barely knew her, Summer had spent the first thirteen years of her life aspiring to be just like her.

For it seemed she was the perfect woman, with the perfect life, in the perfect happy marriage. She was rich, she had a fulfilling job that she loved, teaching the first grade, and she'd always treated Summer and her dad like they meant everything to her. Then just days before her thirteenth birthday, Summer had walked downstairs only to find a note on the dining room table saying that she had been unhappy for years so she had eloped with her secret lover of three years, Kent, and wasn't coming back anytime soon.

It had taken merely days for her father to emotionally unattach himself from Summer. She knew he was heartbroken and needed to find someone other than himself to blame for her mothers departure. Unfortunately for Summer, that person was her. Just thinking about it all brought tears to Summer's eyes as she walked. She'd never been a religious person before then but she had believed in heaven and God, but soon after her mother left she stopped believing in anything positive. She figured that if there really was a God, how could he let someone's entire life fall apart in the space of a few short days.

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'HELLLLLPP!!'

Seth heard the huge scream come from a few hundred meters down the beach and instantly began to jog towards it. He would've gone no matter who it came from, but something about this scream made him desperate to reach its owner. He picked up the pace. He didn't know what it was about the voice that made him so desperate to reach it, all he knew was that it belonged to a female, most likely his age.

Seth's mind jogged back to the party as he ran forward. He had seen her chatting to her friends in the corner when he had walked in but come to think of it, he hadn't seen her on his way out and he was always on the lookout for her. It was like a subconscious thing, to try and look at her as much as possible without it being obvious or creepy.

Seth Cohen didn't know why he liked Summer Roberts. He knew he had virtually no chance because he stood for pretty much everything she and her friends despised. But try as he might, he just couldn't not like her. She had a certain mystique or aura that seemed to send his senses into overdrive whenever he got within fifty feet of her.

Not to mention the fact that she was by far the most breathtakingly beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his entire life. She wasn't hot in the traditional Carmen Electra or Pam Anderson sense. Hell, she most definitely did not have what is seen as the perfect body in today's society, but that didn't matter to Seth because what she had was natural beauty in abundance. Everything from those deep chocolate brown eyes, to the smooth, tanned legs, to the cute little birth mark on her right arm, was absolutely perfect to him.

He could also see there was so much more to her than what she conveyed with her bitchy exterior. He knew that deep down she was this smart, funny, caring, all round amazing person and all that was needed was someone to love her, support her and convince her to show her true self to the world. Oh how Seth longed to be that person, it was his ultimate desire, his dream. With thoughts of her swimming through his mind he made progress towards the general direction of the scream. He rounded a large rock and came face to face with the source of the scream and the reason for it.

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'Hey babe, what you doing out here all alone?'

Summer had taken sanctuary behind a large rock about half a mile from the beach house. She was just sat there thinking when she was interrupted by a low, unfamiliar voice from behind. She turned round to see two shady looking guys in their early twenties. They both had black vests on which had huge, heavily tattooed arms protruding from them, shoulder length disgusting, greasy black hair and leering smiles with yellow teeth that could be seen in the moonlight.

'Aren't you scared of anything bad happening, there are a lot of nasty people around these days,' the same guy asked, looking at her as if she was a piece of meat he was ready to ravish any second.

'Ew, who are you losers and why the fuck are you talking to me? Go away,' Summer replied. Truth was, she wasn't scared in the slightest. These guys looked too far gone on booze or some other illicit substance to be able to do any damage and even if they did try something she could hold her own. She knew where to hit a guy to cause them maximum pain.

'Hey bitch, don't get all pissy with us, were just tryin to have some fun,' the other guy said, or at least that's what Summer thought he said what with all the slurring. 'Now why don't you come over here and show me how to have a good time.'

'Uhh no thanks asshole. I'm not really in the mood to catch syphilis tonight,' Summer countered whilst sending an intense glare at the disgusting creature in front of her. While concentrating on trying to make laser beams shoot from her eyes in order to melt loser number 1, Summer failed to notice loser number 2 sneak away and around behind her, until she felt his repulsive arms snake around her waist.

'Well that's okay bitch because if you're not willing to give us a good time, we'll just have to force you to, won't we now,' the guy in front of her said as he advanced forward and playfully stroked her cheek. Summer tried to break free and was surprised to find that number 2 was still very strong even in his current state. She could smell his putrid whiskey breath and feel it on the back of her neck. She tried to kick the bastard in front square in his (most likely tiny) manhood, but he dodged her foot and let out a cold, sharp laugh.

It was only then Summer became intimidated and afraid. She also realized that she should give up trying to get out of the situation on her own and do what she does best, use that great big mouth of hers. Summer knew what she had to do and that she may only have one shot at getting it right. She took a deep breath……….

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Seth stood looking at the exact thing he'd prayed not to see, two thugs manhandling Summer, his Summer. Well not his Summer, but the one that he'd always wanted. He felt his blood begin to boil at the sight of one guy holding her waist, trapping her arms, whilst the other used one hand to cover her mouth and another other to rub her crotch. Now, Seth Cohen had always been a pretty calm guy. Any other situation, hell, same situation with any other victim would've seen him try to use his quick wit and charm to defuse it. But when the situation was Summer Roberts on the verge of being raped by two drunken scumbags, it was a very different story.

'GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER,' Seth roared as he burst forward, tackling the guy who had been touching Summer to the ground. The guy who had a hold of Summer released her and advanced towards him but was not so pleasantly surprised when Seth, who had apparently been expecting it, spun round and cracked him square in the jaw with a right hook, knocking him to the ground as well. Seth ignored the pain in his right hand, he was running on adrenaline. He had never been as pissed off in his entire life and as far as he was concerned, he wouldn't be done with the assholes until they needed putting in full body casts.

'That's it, you're fucking dead you skinny little cunt,' the guy he had tackled said as he got up. Seth began to advance towards him, ready to snap him in two when suddenly he felt himself being tackled to the ground. Oh shit, the other guy, he thought he'd knocked him out but obviously not. As soon as he hit the floor Seth felt the relentless pounding of fists and boots everywhere on his body. His face and ribs were being repeatedly pummeled and stamped on. Gone was the adrenaline that had turned him into the beast of a few minutes before. Now he could feel every last blow and it was unbearable. The pain got so bad he thought he was sure to pass out. Then suddenly the fresh blows stopped but the pain didn't subside.

'Come on, lets go before the cops get here,' Seth heard someone say but it sounded far off, distant. He had to use all of his little remaining strength to half open one eye. He saw the two guys stumbling away and although he was laying there beaten half to death, he couldn't help but faintly smile at the fact that at least for now, his Summer was safe. With that last thought, Seth closed his eye and let himself slip into darkness.

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Summer, who had witnessed the whole scene, crawled over to Seth all the while trying to control her sobbing. 'Cohen,' she whispered between hiccups and sobs. 'Seth,' she said a little louder while nudging his side, hoping that would do the trick. It didn't. 'SETH COHEN WAKE UP NOW OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU,' she screamed at his limp body before burying her face in his chest and breaking into another round of hysterical sobs.

Once she had composed herself, Summer drew back and studied his face. It was a mess. There was a huge cut along his eyebrow and he was bleeding heavily from both nose and mouth. Summer was no nurse but she was pretty sure he had both a broken nose and jaw, and from what she had seen his body had got an even bigger beating, so she would've bet her favourite purse he had a few broken ribs as well.

Despite all his injuries, Summer couldn't help but notice him in a new light. She'd never really taken the time to look before but now that she had to, she noticed that under all the bruises, he had the cutest face she'd ever seen. And the hair, WOW. What she thought when she saw it from afar was disgustingly uncontrollable, she was now seeing as cute and sexy and wild, and Summer Roberts was a wild child so she liked wild things. She was snapped out of her trance by Seth's cell ringing. She looked at the caller ID, it was Ryan.

'Ryan its Summer,' she said as soon as she flipped the phone open. 'No just shut the fuck up and listen! I was attacked by two drunken scumbags and Seth came to my defence. They beat him bad Ryan,' she said, her voice cracking at the last sentence, 'and now he won't wake up,' she sobbed into the phone. Summer took a few seconds to compose herself and then said, 'we're about half a mile down the beach from the house so I need you to call an ambulance and get your clumsy ass down here NOW!'

With that, Summer flipped the phone shut, turned to Seth and began running her fingers through his thick, curly hair. She looked at him and a big grin broke out on her mascara stained face due to the fact that he looked so cute and at peace, despite needing urgent medical attention. 'Don't worry sweetie,' she cooed softly in his ear, 'everything's gonna be okay.'

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	3. Sorrys and thankyous

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Everything really was going to be okay. Seth had been taken to hospital and diagnosed with a concussion, two broken ribs, a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone. Summer's assessment of him back on the beach had been pretty much spot on. She had gone to the hospital in the ambulance along with Ryan, who had phoned Kirsten and Sandy on the way there. The ride had passed in total silence apart from the odd sniffle and cracked sob from Summer who was still having trouble controlling her emotions.

They were now sat in an empty family room waiting to be allowed to see him. Although they knew he was okay, there was still a sombre mood. Summer and Ryan were both just sat there staring into space with emotionless faces, a sign that they were both deep in thought. Sandy was counting the panels on the ceiling. He was obviously doing anything to distract himself from thinking about the fact that his son had just been beaten half to death. Kirsten meanwhile was frantically pacing back and forth, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

Summer snapped out of her deep thoughts and looked around the room at the three family members. She felt the familiar twinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. This was one of the main reasons she hated, no, had hated Seth. The fact he had a family that even though he was okay, they were still devastated that he had been hurt at all. Summer imagined that if she was hospitalized by an attack, her father would've sent the maid to see if she was alright.

However, after what Seth had done for her, nearly died to save her, she just couldn't find it in her heart to hate him anymore. No, she'd decided that from now on, she was officially Seth Cohen's friend. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to admit it in public when they got back to school but she would at least try and have a decent friendship with him behind closed doors.

'You can see him now, he's in room 118. Third floor, fifth room on the left.' A doctor had come into the waiting area and addressed Sandy and Kirsten. She let out a deep breath in relief that she was finally allowed to take care of her son. She grabbed Sandy's hand and turned to Ryan and Summer.

'Come on guys, let's go see him.'

'No, that's okay,' Summer replied in little voice while staring at the ground. She couldn't look them in the eyes because she thought that they might deem her responsible for Seth being in the hospital. 'Now I know he is awake and okay I should just go, this is a time for family.'

'No sweetie you should come. You saw it happen so you have a right to see him,' Kirsten replied and Summer looked up at her. She had a warm, genuine smile on her face and Summer knew in that instant that they didn't blame her in the slightest.

'No really, that's okay Mrs Cohen, I wouldn't want to intrude.' The truth was she wanted to see him more than anything in the world but she didn't think she would be able to without breaking down again. She really didn't want to do that in front of the other three considering they probably knew that up until tonight, she'd always treated him like a piece of dog shit.

'Alright sweetie. How about while we go and see him you wait here, and when we get back you can see him on your own. I'm sure he'd love to see you,' Kirsten said, sensing there being more reason than she "wasn't family" for Summer not wanting to go see him with the rest of them but not wanting to push the issue.

'Okay,' Summer said, knowing when to give up. She turned to look at Ryan in the chair next to her. He tried to give her a smile that came out as more of a grimace, patted her knee and got up and followed his foster parents to room 118.

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45 minutes later Summer was still sat in the same chair trying to figure out what the hell you say to someone who almost sacrificed their life to save you from being raped. The entire night had been a blur to her and it didn't seem like slowing down anytime soon. It was 3 in the morning but she wasn't tired in the slightest.

It was no surprise to her that her father had not called enquiring where the hell she was at this time. Shit, she'd probably have to stay out for another four days to get that phone call and even then she could say she was living in a dumpster and all she'd get in reply would be, "that's nice darling, have fun" before a dial tone.

Her father was the last thing on her mind though as she sat contemplating how she felt towards Seth. Earlier on when she thought he could be dying, she had found herself strangely attracted to him. And when she'd been close enough to him at parties to hear what he was saying, he sounded really funny and smart and sweet and way better than any of the dumb loser guys in her current circle of friends. She also knew that he was everything she couldn't afford to associate herself with if she wanted to remain at the top of social ladder.

'Summer he's ready to see you now,' Sandy said as he walked in the waiting room and sat down next to her, Kirsten and Ryan in tow. He must've noticed the look of worry on her face because he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, 'and don't worry kiddo, he's fine.'

Summer just nodded and looked down to stop him from seeing the tears forming in her eyes. 'And I just got a call from a friend down at the station, they arrested two guys that fit the description you gave. They were causing trouble at that new club on the pier, The Bait Shop. So in the next few days I'm gonna need you and Seth to fill out statements and you may need to come down the station with me to identify them, is that okay Summer?' She just nodded which he took as a cue to continue. 'If it is them, they'll be looking at eight to ten years for assault and attempted rape, five of them before being eligible for parole, everything's going to be okay kiddo now go on, he's waiting for you.'

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Summer stopped dead in front of the door and stared at the shiny, gold lettering. Number 118. She really didn't want to go in, to see him in that state again, knowing it was because of her. She couldn't help but cast her mind back on the night's events and wonder, if she had done anything differently would he still be lying in the hospital unable to move and as dosed up on painkillers as her stepmother. With a shaking hand, Summer reached for the door handle, turned it and entered.

He looked a lot better than when she had last seen him. The doctors had stitched his cut, got his bruises to subside and put dressing on his ribcage and fractured right cheek. He also had some colour back in his cheeks. In the ambulance he had looked so pale, so drained, so lifeless, it had been scary. But now he had that adorable fullness back in his cheeks as he turned to Summer and gave her a weak smile. It made her heart melt.

'Hey,' he said in a weak voice, barely more than a whisper as she walked over to his bedside and stared down at him, a sadness deep in her beautiful brown eyes.

'Hi,' Summer replied softly as she took his hand in hers and gently stroked her thumb over his knuckles.

After a few minutes silence Seth stared intently at her and said, 'are you okay.' That did it for Summer. Here he was laying beaten half to death because of her, and **he **was asking if **she **was okay. She burst into tears, bent down and threw her arms around him, carefully though so not to put any pressure on his ribs. She pressed her wet face against the unfractured side of his and started mumbling words in his ear in between sobs and hiccups.

'Seth……I'm sorry…….I'm so so sorry………please forgive me.'

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Seth couldn't believe what was happening. Here was the girl of his dreams, the one who had virtually denied his existence for seventeen years, with her arms wrapped round him, face pressed against his, telling him how sorry she was even though as far as he was concerned she had nothing to be sorry for. Hell, Seth thought he should be the one apologising for being such a weak bastard and not being able to give those cretins what they deserved. Although his dad had said something about them being caught and that they were gonna be put away for a very long time, Seth didn't know, he hadn't really been paying attention

The entire duration of his parents and Ryan's visit, his mind had been on one thing, Summer, and now here she was, pretty much as close to him as possible. Sure it wasn't in ideal circumstances or for the best reasons but that didn't matter to Seth because he had been dreaming about this moment for as long as he could remember. He could actually feel her tears moistening his cheek as he whispered words of how she had no need to apologise and that it wasn't her fault in her ear.

Summer pulled back and gave him a watery eyed smile while running her fingers through his hair and studying his cute face once again. 'Thank you,' she said softly, smiling down at him, 'you're amazing.'

Even through his bruising Summer could see he had turned a violent shade of red. He began clumsily stuttering things like, 'don't worry about it,' and, 'would've done it for anybody.' She knew he would've done it for anybody because he was just that kind of guy, but she couldn't help but crack a huge grin at the cuteness of his embarrassment and him trying to make out what he did for her to be no big deal. But nothing he could say was gonna take away the specialness of what he had done for her tonight.

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They enjoyed the comfortable silence that engulfed them, both feeling nothing more needed to be said. Summer kept alternating between stroking his thick curls and soothingly rubbing his knuckles with her hands, while Seth switched between staring at her intently and closing his eyes whenever they got tired. After about twenty minutes silence Summer spoke up.

'I have to go,' she said and Seth cocked open one eye to look at her. She bent down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his unfractured left cheek, 'I'll see you around Seth Cohen.' With one final, genuine smile she swiveled round towards the door and was gone.

Seth was on cloud nine. Despite the fact his painkillers were wearing off and his entire body was starting to feel like it was on fire again, he couldn't help but sigh happily. Although he knew things would probably be back to normal when he went back to school and she'd be back to ignoring him, he couldn't help but feel that tonight he had become the first person in a long time to forge a connection with Summer Roberts. He felt like he had just knocked a brick off the walls she'd put round her true self and he was now more determined than ever to bring those walls down, brick by brick if he had to. He knew it wouldn't be easy but hey, at least he was on her radar now.

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	4. What's going on?

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Summer rang the doorbell and went back to attempting to remove the non-existent creases from her cream v-neck sweater for the fifth time in ten minutes. She didn't know why she was so nervous, it was only Seth Cohen for God's sake. Less than a week age she couldn't remember if his name was Seth, Sam or Sean and honestly, she couldn't have really given a flying fuck. How that had all changed.

It was Wednesday, five days after the incident and for some reason that she couldn't quite fathom, she had been thinking about him and what he did for her night and day. She cared about what he thought about her, something which she had never done before so she was here on his doorstep with the intention to prove to him that she wasn't the total ditz that everybody thought she was.

It was midday and she'd been asked if she wanted to go to south coast plaza by Holly because they both had lunch then a free but Summer had told her that she had to meet her dad for lunch. Yes, she had decided that it would be within both their best interests if they didn't have any kind of public relationship. She couldn't risk her social status dropping by associating with Seth and she believed he wouldn't be able to handle the constant attention, pressure, gossip and public scrutiny that came with being in her circle, especially since all he'd ever really known was how to be a complete nobody. The poor guy would probably end up breaking down in the bathroom within half a day.

Well, really she was just using the part about it benefiting him to make herself fell better about her choice, she knew that when push came to shove, Summer Roberts really only gave a fuck about Summer Roberts, but that was to be expected when she'd had to look after herself since her parents deserted her. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was answered by a surprised looking Kirsten Cohen.

'Summer hi, are you here to see Seth?'

'Hi Mrs Cohen, yes I am, is he in?' Summer replied with one of her oh so rare genuine smiles. Nowadays she reserved them for the few honest and trustworthy people in Newport and she knew that Kirsten was one of those people.

'Well I should hope so,' Kirsten replied, 'because if he wasn't, when he got back I would ground him for life.' Seth had been advised by doctors to take at least the first week of school off and to move very little in order to speed up his recovery. The best part for him was that even when he went back, he didn't have to do gym for at least two months. For him it felt like Chrismukkah, Easter and his birthday had all come at once. 'May I ask Summer, why aren't you in school?'

'Oh I have lunch and then a free period so I have a few hours to kill. May I ask why you're not at work?' Summer said with a raised eyebrow.

Kirsten chuckled at Summer. She knew Summer didn't mean to be rude or bitchy, she just had a huge amount of spunk and self confidence and was always one to say what she was thinking. That's what Kirsten liked about her and she could see why her son had had a crush on her since like, forever.

'I'm working from home this week so I can keep an eye on my baby, make sure he has everything he needs.' Summer grinned at Kirsten's answer because an image had popped into her mind of Seth lying on the couch ringing a little bell and weakly shouting "mommy" because he had run out of ice cream. 'Anyway come on in, he'll be so happy to see you. He's been so whiney today, I think he's just bored. He keeps saying he wishes he had been beaten to death, because it would've been a lot more quick and painless than slowly dying of boredom.'

Summer laughed, thinking if this was a typical Seth Cohen type of comment she would really enjoy getting know him. He sounded soooo funny, not to mention cute and sexy and smart and funny and sexy and, oh God she was doing it again. 'Just go on up Summer, it's the third door on the left,' Kirsten said as she shut the door behind her.

'Okay, thank you Mrs Cohen,' Summer replied in a sweet voice as she began to climb the stairs toward Seth's bedroom.

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Seth was bored. There was no other way to describe what he was going through other than completely and utterly mind-numbing boredom. He was so bored he would even take being in a room with broody, angsty, silent Ryan above his current situation. At least he would be able to go into free flow talking mode without the fear of being interrupted but no, as things were he had nothing, no one.

Seth glanced at the clock. 12:23. Ryan was on lunch at school, most likely sucking face with Marissa. Yes they had finally hooked up the party, about the same time he was being beaten to a bloody pulp half a mile away and as soon as Ryan was completely assured Seth was going to be fine, he had gone back to permanently attaching himself to his new girlfriend via his tongue or penis. Seth was just about to hobble downstairs and request ask his mother to give him a sharp instrument so he could slit his wrists when he heard a sharp knock at his door.

'Hey mom, what's up,' he said while turning his head, expecting to see his mom standing there, ready to ask him what he wanted for lunch. _"About fucking time,"_ he thought as he was starving and unable to do anything about it because his mom, being crazily overprotective, wouldn't let him move more than the ten feet to his crapper more than two or three times a day.

He opened his mouth to politely enquire what took her so long and his mouth stayed open when he noticed it wasn't his mother but the girl of his dreams, the beautiful Summer Roberts standing in his room.

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Summer couldn't help but giggle at the retarded look on Seth's face when he saw it was in fact her. He looked so cute when he was surprised. Summer chastised herself. She just couldn't have them kind of thoughts about Seth Cohen because Seth Cohen was Seth Cohen, and Seth Cohen was just ew. Although she wasn't really sure about his ew factor anymore. In recent days when she thought about him she had been thinking more along the lines of ooh than ew. 'Hi Seth,' she said brightly but shyly at the same time.

'Uh……...hi……...wh-wh-what are you doing here,' Seth replied, repeatedly stuttering, causing him to go bright red. She grinned at his sheer amazement and nervousness that she was in his room. She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

'I've got lunch and then a free and I felt bad about not coming by and seeing how you were doing sooner but I've just been so busy with school and homework and shopping but you know how it is anyway how are you ?' she said in one breath with no pauses. Seth just gawped at her like he had been kicked in the nuts which made her giggle again.

When Seth finally snapped out of his trance, or rather his brain finally processed what she'd just said, he replied a little more confidently than last time, 'oh I've been good, well not good but you know, alive.' Summer nodded at his words, they made sense, how could he be good when he was a prisoner in his own home.

'I know you told me at the hospital to stop saying it but I just wanna say how sorry I am this happened to you. And I also wanna thank you again, if you hadn't shown up who knows what they would've done to me. AND,' she continued more forcefully, putting her hand up when it looked like he was about to interrupt her, 'I……..I just wanna say how sorry I am for the way I've treated you in the past. I promise it's gonna change, I'll change. And I promise I'll make sure none of them dumb jocks ever hurt you again, I have ways of making them do what I say.'

Seth really didn't want to know what those ways were and really didn't want to think about it. Not that he had time to think about it anyway when Summer was sat next to him with a trembling lower lip and watery eyes. He could tell from her face that she was filled regret and guilt that she followed everyone else in ostracizing him, but as far as he was concerned it was all in the past as long as she was talking to him now.

'Hey,' he said softly, placing a comforting hand on her forearm. 'I don't give a shit about what's happened in the past. It doesn't matter to me as long as were friends now.' He expression suddenly changed from a reassuring one to a confused and panicky one, 'uhh, we are friends right,' he questioned slowly and quietly. His sudden change in mood caused Summer to forget her guilt and break into a fit of giggles, so much so that she had to cover her mouth with her hand. After a few seconds spent composing herself Summer replied with a massive grin on her face.

'Yes Cohen, we're friends you dumbass.' Seth let out a sigh of relief and a big smile spread across his face but it quickly faded when Summer continued, starting with a horrible word. 'However, I do think it's best if we let things go back to the way they were. I mean when you get back to school you won't want anyone to know you got beaten up and I certainly don't want people knowing I was nearly raped. So in order to avoid that, I……….I don't think we should hang out together at school. People will just start asking too many questions and spreading too many lies, you know what I mean. I'm sorry but I think it's for best.'

'Oh,' was all it took from Seth for Summers heart to break in two. The look of huge upset and disappointment written all across his face was enough to make her instantly regret her decision. 'Well that makes sense I guess,' he finished quietly.

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After several seconds of awkward, uncomfortable silence, Summer decided to break it. 'I got you something,' she said in barely more than a whisper, still not looking at him because a) she didn't want to see the upset look on his face she had caused and b) she was now blushing violently.

Seth snapped his head up at this and studied her. She'd bought him a present and she was embarrassed. Not only was Summer Roberts on his bed but she was on it with a present for him and was being all cute and shy and blushing. This was a side of her that he imagined not many people had seen before and he was proud to be one of those people because it was beautiful. His face cracked into a massive grin, forgetting he was upset he said, 'aww Summer that's so cute you didn't have to.' She looked up at him with a big but shy smile on her face. That was the best present of all as far as he was concerned, her smiling.

'Shut up asshat,' she said through laughs, swatting his arm playfully. 'Seriously Cohen, I just wanted to get you a little something to say thank you for saving me. I talked to chino and he said you like comics which I think is like totally lame and dorky by the way but whatever floats your boat I guess. Anyways, I got you this.' She pulled what was obviously a comic book out of her purse and handed it to him, biting her lip nervously. She didn't know why but him liking it felt like a life or death matter to her.

Seth took the comic enthusiastically but to perfectly honest he wasn't expecting much. He was expecting a tattered four year old episode of legion that she had picked up at the local flea market, or even worse, the official Barbie comic. That's why when he turned it over he nearly had a fucking heart attack. He was staring down at an authentic Spiderman number one with the original packaging. This was one of the rarest, most sought after comic books in the world and one was sat in his hand having been given to him by Summer Roberts no less. This was turning out to be one amazing but fucked up day. It took him a few minutes to realize that Summer was staring at him intently, waiting for his opinion.

'WOW, for the first time in my life I-I-I'm actually speechless I………..Summer how did you get this? This………this is one of the……….the rarest……….I-I love it, thank you so much,' he finally finished, breaking into what was possibly the cutest smile Summer had ever seen. It must've been contagious because one just as big spread across her face at the fact that he actually liked her present. The fact he liked it made her so happy it was unreal.

'Well it's amazing what you can get a hold of with a couple of bucks and a contact in the dork world,' she said in a sweet voice. She left out the part that by "a few bucks" she meant seven thousand dollars. 'Unfortunately I had to talk to my lab partner Leon. He told me what to get and where to go for it. You may know him, constantly blocked nasal passages, thick bifocals, t-shirts with pictures of cheeseburgers on them. If you don't I could introduce you, I have a feeling you two would get on like a house on fire,' she teased.

'Ha ha summer you're so funny and for your information I do know Leon. He's vice president of the comic book club, second in command to me and I happen to think that he's one cool dude.' Summer burst into laughter and it didn't take Seth long to join in. 'But seriously Summer, this is the greatest present anyone's ever given me, and you didn't even have to which really says something about the kind of person you are. I'm totally speechless and really can't think of anything to say other than thanks, so thanks.'

'You're welcome, thanks for saving me.'

'I already told you I'm glad I did it and I'd do it again, for anybody.'

'That doesn't make it any less special, not to me anyway.'

Their eyes locked and time seemed to grind to a halt. They could both feel the sparks flying in every direction. They were both so focused on each others eyes they could easily have had a million other pairs of eyes on them and not known any different. It was definitely a moment but as soon as it had come it had gone. 'So anyways, I gotta go,' Summer said, sliding off the bed, walking a few feet and turning to face him. 'I'll see you around Cohen?'

'Count on it, and thanks for the present Summer. I'd see you out but I've been told if I leave my bed I will be destroyed, mom's going through a terminator phase.'

Summer giggled at his goofiness, 'it's no problem. Just get well soon Cohen, okay bye.' With that she turned and exited his room.

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Seth couldn't believe how awesome this day was turning out. All his previous boredom forgotten, his mind ran over the last thirty minutes. Not only was he now the proud owner of a mint condition Spiderman #1, he had engaged in a lighthearted, friendly conversation with Summer Roberts, and **she** had been the one to come to **him**. Sure she had said she still wanted pretty much fuck all to do with him at school but even that couldn't put a dampener on his ecstatic mood.

Seth thought the only way this day could possibly get any better was if Natalie Portman came bursting though his door stark naked and started begging him to fuck her senseless. Sure he loved summer and wanted his first time to be with her but if that situation ever did arise, he knew he would have a very difficult time turning down a piece of the Portman. Seth sighed happily and let his head fall back onto his pillow, ready to continue the process of burning the last half hour into his memory forever.

As soon as she closed the door, Summer leaned back against it and exhaled a deep breath. Never, not even when her mother left had she experienced so many different intense emotions in such a short amount of time. Happiness, sadness, more happiness, guilt, happiness, relief, happiness. There was definitely an emotion that appeared more than the rest.

Also, what was that eye contact near the end all about? Fuck, it had been so amazingly deep she had actually stopped breathing because she felt that maintaining it was more important. God, what the hell was Seth Cohen doing to her? She wasn't sure but whatever it was, she both loved and hated it.

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	5. Is all hope lost?

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Summer dug through her bottom drawer knowing exactly what she was looking for but having absolutely no idea where it was. She'd driven home from the Cohen household and immediately started looking for it. Just when she was about to throw herself on her bed and scream in frustration, she noticed what she was looking for poking out at her from behind an old pair of boots.

Summer took it from the drawer and surveyed the cover. It was a notepad she used to doodle on when she got bored in lessons in the ninth grade. She began to flick through it until she came to what she was looking for. One day in American history her, Holly and Marissa had been bored so they'd decided to partake in the creation of this.

Summer was staring down at a pyramid diagram with 26 brightly coloured levels and a bold title above it that read **"The High School Popularity Rating System."** The three girls had decided to create a chart that ranked a persons social standing, taking into account everything from their personality to their looks to their style. The idea was that anybody in any high school in the world could be placed into one of these levels.

Summer studied the chart and knew right away what level she was at, **#1 - King or Queen Bee**. At Harbor there was only Holly and a few jocks who could be placed on the same level, a fact she was quite proud of. She scanned down the pyramid, looking for the level that would Seth would be best suited to and found it third from bottom, **#24 - Cute and/or Funny Geek.** This was an appallingly bad level considering there were only two below it, **Pure and Simple Geek** and **Fat and/or Ugly Geek**.

Summer sighed knowing that back when they created it all three of them had agreed that they wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with anybody lower than a **#12 - Bland in Personality and Average Looking**. She scanned the rest of the diagram. Marissa's stock had recently dropped from **#2 - Cream of the Crop **to **#5 - Popular But With Problems** since she'd started getting wasted more often and screwing Chino. Ryan's market value however had sky rocketed since he had started coming to Harbor and dating Marissa. He'd gone from **#20 - Nasty Piece of Work** to **#7 - Sexy and Smart**.

The whole purpose of her doing this was to find a way that she could hang out with Cohen in public without her social status dipping because secretly that was what she wanted more than anything in the world. She knew back when they created the chart that they would just use it to ridicule other students who were less rich, attractive and popular that them but she had a feeling that Holly would've taken it a bit more seriously than her or Marissa. Hell, the photocopy that Holly had of the chart was probably stuck on her wall, it was most likely her bible and there was no way in hell Summer was going to give her the satisfaction of having top spot in Harbor all to her ditzy self.

Summer thought about the logic of the chart for a second. If she added the levels of Seth, Ryan and Marissa together and averaged them out they came to………**#12**. If they were one person they would be considered bland and average looking, someone Summer could just about get away with hanging out with without jeopardising her popularity.

She squealed in delight and clapped her hands together in happiness that she had been able to find a loophole in the laws of popularity. She could officially hang out with Cohen as long as both Coop and Chino were present as well. She crashed backwards onto her bed and sighed happily. For a reason she already knew but was not willing to admit out loud or to herself, the thought of school had suddenly become a lot more appealing.

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'I'm telling you it's all coming together for me man, she's starting to fall for the irresistible Seth Cohen charm. I mean who the fuck gives someone a mint condition Spiderman #1 if they're not totally crazy about them.' Kirsten had nipped out to the grocery store and Seth was using the precious time to escape from his room/cell and fill Ryan in on what had taken place a few short hours ago.

He was hovering over Ryan's shoulder who was sat at his desk in the poolhouse desperately trying to ignore Seth and get on with the mountain of homework he had somehow accumulated during his first three days at Harbor. It was plain for all to see from the look on his face that he was becoming increasingly agitated by the second.

'How about someone who doesn't give a shit about comics, has a fat wad of cash burning a hole in their pocket and who just wanted to do something nice for the guy who saved her from being raped, and would you please back up a bit man I already have a fucking shadow. I can feel your breath on my neck and it's really creepy,' Ryan said a littler harsher and louder than he meant to.

'Whoa, chill man you seem a little tense. Everything okay with Marissa? How about school because I know you have a lot of work to do until the teachers deem you to be up to the Harbor standard,' Seth replied with a cautious and concerned look at his brother. Ryan had never said that much in a single breath before and had never, ever raised his voice to any of the Cohen's before.

'Everything's fine with Marissa Seth and you're right, I do have a lot of work to do which if you hadn't noticed I'm trying to do right now, and you sitting there talking about Summer and comics really isn't helping me get it done. Now could you please just leave me to do it in peace,' Ryan said, a little calmer than before but still with a bit of an edge in his voice.

'Okay Ryan I'll go. But just remember man, if it ever just gets to be a bit too much, the best thing you can do is to sit back and chill by playing a few rounds of Dead or Alive. If you decide to do this in the near future, you know where to find me.'

Ryan's features softened at this. 'Thanks man, I appreciate it and I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just got a lot on my plate at the moment you know.'

'Yeah bro, don't worry about it. I'd better get back to my room anyway. If mom comes home and sees me moving she'll have a freaking heart attack. See ya later buddy,' Seth replied and with a small wave, he was gone.

As Seth hobbled slowly back up to his room, (he still wasn't moving too well because of the whole broken ribs thing), he thought about what had just happened. He was more surprised than hurt by Ryan's cold and tense actions. Sure Ryan had the look of an angry kid but with the Cohen's he had never been anything other than laid back and polite.

Seth was pretty sure he wasn't lying and that it was all down to the stress of being at a new school with much higher standards than his previous one. Seth had heard about Chino Hills and the fact that the truancy rate was as high for the teachers as it was for the kids. He also knew how much homework a Harbor student got and while he was used to not bothering to do his, he knew Ryan would never, ever do that. Seth knew Ryan would do every last piece he got even if it killed him because he felt like he had to prove to the Cohen's that they had made the right choice in taking him in, in giving him a chance in life. What he didn't realise was that they'd already figured that out over the summer before he'd even set foot in Harbor.

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Summer wrung her hands together in nervous anticipation. It was Monday morning and she was stood outside Harbor leant against her car. To anyone watching it looked like the typical Monday morning when she'd wait for Marissa and they'd stroll confidently through the front doors together. Except today she was waiting for someone else. Someone who she really should not be waiting for and if it was ever discovered, she would be ridiculed by her fellow members of the "in crowd."

It was like her dirty little secret, a secret Summer couldn't get enough of but knew she could never let come out. She didn't need or even want to talk to him, she just needed to see him and she'd heard from Marissa who'd been told by Ryan, that he was back today. She hadn't gone back to see him since the comic book incident last week, she had been too embarrassed.

Summer felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw her best friend's red BMW pull up. She expected he would catch a lift with Marissa and Ryan and her suspicions were confirmed when one of the rear doors opened and he stepped out. 'Dammit turn round,' Summer whispered to herself. He had is back to her and while she could stare at his gorgeous curly locks all day, at that moment she wanted more, no she NEEDED more. She craved him. Somehow he'd become like a drug to her and she was most definitely addicted. She didn't want to be. Hell, she wished she was addicted to anything or anyone else but the fact of matter was that it was him and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Summer snapped out of her thoughts of comparing herself to a crackhead when she noticed the trio coming towards her. COMING TOWARDS HER! OH SHIT, that wasn't the way it was supposed to go. She had expected Marissa to come and meet her and him and Ryan to go a different way. What if he hadn't remembered the little agreement made in their last meeting or what if he just chose to ignore it?

Summer was rooted to the spot, her brain wouldn't get into gear. All she could think about was his lanky frame getting closer and closer and Summer knew when her brain stopped functioning properly, she started doing incredibly stupid things as if they were as normal as breathing. When they reached her she expected to do one of these stupid things, such as swear loudly at him and slap him. If she did this she would've gained the attention of everyone in the parking lot for all the wrong reasons. At the end of the day she would have had to go home and add an entirely new level to her pyramid popularity chart all for herself. **#27 - Psycho Bitch With Tourettes Syndrome**.

Turns out though Summer didn't have time to do something dumb because no sooner had he arrived, he had departed with Ryan, not without a sly grin and a wink in her direction which didn't go unnoticed by her. She sighed due to two emotions, relief and happiness. While she was glad he hadn't tried to talk to her, she was also very happy she'd got the grin that made her go weak at the knees. With a happy glow now planted on her face, Summer motioned for Marissa to follow her and practically skipped off towards the school entrance.

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Seth had no control over his violently tapping foot as he sat in the back of Marissa's car on the way to school, a telltale sign he was nervous. He was head over heels in love with her so of course he was going to respect her wishes of everything returning to normal now he was back at school, but she had no idea how hard that was going to be for him.

Sure he hadn't been happy when she ignored him like everybody else but he had been able to handle it. Now though, after she'd willingly engaged him in a couple of conversations and they'd seemingly really enjoyed each other's company, he wasn't so sure it was going to be that easy.

However, he remembered back to their chat last week. She specifically said she wanted everything to be the same **at school**, she hadn't said anything about outside school. Seth guessed he was reading into her choice of words too much but that was to be expected when he was desperately clinging onto any hope that he would be able to have any type of friendship with her.

Yes he still wanted her, like pure lust wanted her, but more than anything he just wanted her to want to play some sort of role in his life and if that meant she wanted to be his friend, he would take it. He'd asked her if they were friends last week and she'd said yes, but in the last few days when she hadn't visited again, he'd been having paranoid thoughts that it was a moment of madness on her part and she hadn't really meant it. So Seth went to school today with the sole aim of finding out whether or not he would be able to be her friend outside school.

As the car pulled into the parking lot he noticed her leaning against her car waiting for Marissa. Seth knew it was her usual morning routine and it made him sigh because it all but confirmed that everything was going to be exactly as it was for him last year when it came to her. He cussed himself for clinging to the notion that she may have changed her mind since he last saw her and that she'd walk up to him in front of everybody and engage him in small talk, ask him how he was feeling. Why did he think these thoughts when it was basically setting himself up for more hurt and disappointment?

When he snapped out of his thoughts, Seth noticed that they were trudging towards her. He knew he should probably give her a wide berth if he wanted to show her he respected her wishes and gain her trust but Ryan was following Marissa towards her and Seth had decided that this year he was going nowhere in school without Ryan, he finally had some protection against the jocks. He was relieved when he remembered that Ryan had said a disgusting goodbye to Marissa with his tongue back at the car and wasn't going to stop and chat, thus making him have to stop aswell, leaving him in a very uncomfortable situation.

When Seth drew level with her their eyes connected and he felt a sudden burst of confidence, it was now or never he thought. He gave her a wink followed up by the cheekiest grin he could possibly muster, knowing that not one of the other 200 plus people in the parking lot would be paying the slightest bit of attention to what he did. He'd been expecting her to either look the other way or glare at him in response so needless to say he was more than surprised when he received a big grin and, wait a sec, her cheeks flushing.

Seth was so stunned he momentarily stopped walking but luckily no one, including Ryan, Summer or Marissa noticed. He couldn't believe what had just happened. That was the second time in less than a week that he'd made her blush.

The cheeky grin morphed into a more emphatic one as his brain restarted and he caught up to Ryan. He clapped his brother on the back and said, 'did I tell you how great it is to be back buddy.' Ryan just turned to give him a look that clearly said "have you been smoking crack?", probably due to the fact that less than thirty minutes ago at breakfast he had been whining to his parents that he was still not fit enough to go. Seth didn't care though, there was only one thought on his mind, that maybe all hope was not lost.

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	6. He never came!

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Summer walked over to the table, dinner tray in hand, knowing that this choice could determine her whole high school future. On one hand she could put a serious dint in her chances of becoming prom queen and her name getting the loudest cheer at graduation, which up until a few months ago until she realised the superficiality of it all, had been what she'd always dreamt of. But on the other hand she got hang out with this cute, funny, smart and all round amazing guy that she'd begun to look at like no other guy she had ever looked at.

Sure the lust was there and Summer imagined it would be incredibly fun and not to mention hot if she just grabbed a handful of his curls, pulled his head down to hers and shoved her tongue in his mouth. But it was just being in his presence and seeing him be himself that she wanted more than anything, something that she had never wanted from a guy before.

Summer had also taken a big step over the weekend in admitting to herself that after two weeks of constant fantasising about him there was a chance that, only because of what he did for her, she may have developed a teeny tiny little crush on Seth Cohen. She also knew she would rather be seen shopping at Walmart for clothes than admit it to anybody. She'd also decided that he was just a phase and the best way to snap out of it would be to spend as much time with him as possible until he began to annoy or bore her, then she could go back to drooling over water polo players instead of anime loving geeks.

So it was with this in mind that Summer had begun to stroll over to the table where Seth, Ryan and Marissa were sat. Only problem was the closer she got, the more reservations she began to have about being seen with him. Yes she'd worked out a way she could sit with him without her popularity dipping but she also knew she wouldn't get away with it without it going completely unnoticed and she would get a few questions from the likes of Holly and Madison. It was the snide remarks and comments she'd get from those skanks that she thought she might be able to handle without saying or doing something stupid that would result in her status dropping.

_'I can't do this,'_ Summer thought to herself. She let out a defeated sigh, she hated herself in that moment. She was about to walk away from the only guy who had ever given a shit about her feelings, the only one who had ever told her she was a good person and most importantly, the only guy she'd ever cared about just because her crowd of people didn't approve of him.

Summer turned around to find somewhere else to sit, and was disgusted at what she saw. The only other table respectable enough for her to be seen sitting at was Holly's but Summer saw that it was a little full. Holly was surrounded by six huge, well built jocks who were all flirting with her and she was flirting right back.

In that moment some disgusting and unwanted imagery chose to pop into Summer's head. She totally pictured Holly in one of them gangbang pornos where it's like ten guys and one girl and they all stand in a line and proceed to screw her individually. Then she gets screwed by multiple guys at once and then in the end they all circle around her and jizz all over her. She shuddered, trying to physically shake the horrible thoughts from her mind.

Summer thought about it. She'd rather have Holly bugging her about sitting with Cohen at lunch than have to sit with Holly herself and think of her doing that while trying to eat a sandwich and keep it down. Summer turned on her heel and strolled over to the trio. She'd made her choice but whether it was the right one remained to be seen.

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'Cohen. COHEN! Are you listening? Close your mouth when you eat for Christ's sake. I'm sat here trying to eat my lunch and all I can hear is the contents of yours swirling around in your mouth, it's fucking disgusting.'

Seth who was sat next to her, responded by sticking his tongue out at her while grinning cheekily. It was covered with peanut butter and looked quite gross. If any other person had done it Summer would've found it revolting but when Seth did it, it was just plain adorable. She grinned back and stuck her own tongue out back at him. Hers was also covered with what she had been eating, the plain white Greek sauce on her salad. Seth saw his opportunity for a zinger and pounced.

'Oh I see you've been making a little extra money again Summer. Tell me, whose little swimmers are those and how much did you charge him for that?'

Summer's only response was to direct an intense glare at him while Marissa, who had managed to pry lips from Ryan's long enough to see the exchange, began to howl with laughter. Hell, even Ryan managed a smirk, such was the quality of the one-liner.

'Fuck you Cohen. That ain't peanut butter on your tongue, it's the contents of your teacher's asses, what with all the lickin you've done this morning you straight A dork.'

'Damn you're good at this friendly banter shit, call it a tie?' Seth replied, the adorable grin still plastered all over his face. Summer just nodded, giving him her own just as wide smile. It had been about three weeks since she'd made what she now considered the best decision of her life. She had, as expected, got a few raised eyebrows from the skanks but she just told them that she was hanging out with her best friend Marissa and her new boyfriend, and Cohen just happened to be there and that she ignored him. They must've been satisfied with that answer as it hadn't been half as bad as Summer thought it'd be. Not that it mattered anyway because she was pretty sure that even if they had bugged her relentlessly they wouldn't have been able to dampen her ecstatic mood.

Summer could honestly say it had bee the happiest three weeks she had had since before her mother left. She constantly had a massive smile on her face and she always felt that even if some bastard managed to wipe it off, she would see Cohen at lunch and he would make it grow right back.

The only problem was that according to her original plan, she was supposed to be sick and tired of Seth Cohen by now but instead she felt a deeper connection to him than ever. He was indeed hilarious and gorgeous and adorable and perfect in every single way, well at least to her he was. She was still being stubborn and kidding herself that it was nothing but a silly schoolgirl crush that would pass given time, but deep down Summer knew that somewhere down the line it'd become much, much more than that.

'Come on Riss we got French next, lets go,' Ryan said as he stood up and offered his girlfriend both his hands and pulled her up. 'See you guys later,' he added over his shoulder as they set off.

Summer suddenly felt very uncomfortable when she realized that she was sat next to Seth Cohen, alone, in a public place for all to see. Sensing her discomfort, Seth gathered his bag, stood up, leant down and whispered in her ear, 'I'll see you later.' She nodded, giving him a small smile before he turned and stalked off to his history lesson.

Back at the table, Summer exhaled a deep breath out of relief, shortly followed by a sigh of guilt. She was glad he'd been the one to leave because she was no good at making up excuses to bail, but she also felt terrible. She knew he'd left because he could sense she was still uncomfortable being seen alone with him. Summer got up and began to walk to the nearest bathroom. She could feel herself tearing up at the thought that he was so amazing but she still treated him like shit and even worse, he accepted it without complaint. She picked up the pace, feeling she could break down any second and really not wanting to do it in public.

Seth knew he should be pissed off at Summer. All her actions pretty much screamed "yeah we're friends, as long as no one's looking," but even if he wanted to he knew he couldn't. the past three weeks had easily been the best of his life. He had not yet achieved his ultimate goal of making Summer his but he now felt that even if he never did, he would die happy because she had willingly been his friend. He also felt he was making progress in bringing out the real Summer.

Whenever they talked about Holly or Madison or the "in crowd" in general, she would always reply negatively with a hint of disgust in her voice. Now all he had to do was find some way to show her that they represented everything the real Summer wasn't. He knew the real Summer was smart and kind and generous, not bitchy and ditzy and slutty like the rest of the popular girls and dammit, he was going to bring that person out of their shell if it was the last thing he did.

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'SUMMER!'

Summer turned round when her name was shouted, only to see Holly trying to get to her as fast as her heeled feet would carry her. Summer rolled her eyes at the sight of the blonde bimbo, this was the last thing she needed. She'd barely stepped five foot out of her English class where she had just been assigned a six page essay, only to find even more bad news skipping towards her.

'Hey Holl, how's it going?' Summer said in the fake enthusiastic voice she had perfected over the years to keep people like Holly Fischer happy.

'Don't hey Holl me Summer is it true?' Holly replied in a serious tone when she finally reached her. Summer just stared at her with an extra confused look on her face.

'I'm sorry is what true?'

'That you're fucking the Cohen geek you eat lunch with because Jeff says he saw you in a heavy makeout session with him down at the pier on Saturday.' Summer just stood there stunned, until she finally launched into a full scale rant.

'We'll you can tell Jeff to go fuck himself and stop making up bullshit about me just because I don't want to date him. And if he's going to spread shit about me he could a least make up something believable, I mean Seth Cohen, EW! That guy is like the biggest fucking dork I've ever been unfortunate enough to meet. Like I've told you before, I'm hanging out with Ryan and Marissa and that loser just happens to be there, I completely ignore him. And even if I did go insane and want to have sex with him, he would reject me anyway because he is like totally gay. It's so obvious he is mad crushed out on Ryan. You should see the way he drools over him at lunch, it's pathetic.'

Holly's response to the rant was to give a triumphant smile. 'Well if he isn't your friend you won't care about hurting his feelings then will you,' she said before turning and walking off. Summer just stood there confused about what Holly meant until she heard a loud bang behind her. She turned round to see what caused it and her heart stopped. Suddenly it all made sense.

Seth was stood about three feet from her and the noise had been him throwing a textbook in his locker. He made another one just as loud when he violently slammed the locker door. Only then did he glance in her direction. He wasn't making eye contact with her but Summer could see his face was a bright red, most likely a mixture of a very large amount of anger, embarrassment and upset. Without looking at her, he walked past her toward the school entrance.

Summer leant against a locker and inhaled a deep, shaky breath. She knew what had just happened, Holly had set her up. She had known Seth was behind her and had made up some bullshit about some douchebag jock spreading rumours about her, knowing full well it would set Summer off on a rant. Holly was very smart when it came to making people miserable. She had dangled the bait and Summer had taken it, hook line and sinker.

She felt like running after Holly, slapping her bitch face and screaming at her that she may have just made a guy that she had began to li-…….think was pretty cool, hate her. Summer couldn't even muster the energy to do that though. Instead she just slid down the locker to the floor and buried her face in her hands. She knew she had fucked up royally and didn't know if Seth would ever be able to forgive her.

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Seth's mind was reeling from what had just happened. Ever sine he was about ten, he'd always believed that she was so much better than the people she hung out with. Now though he wasn't so sure. He couldn't stop the tears from beginning to fall as he thought back to what he had heard her say. He slid down the tree he was hid behind and began to sob silently. He didn't even care that he was missing last period biology, his favourite subject.

Seth had already known that she'd told her friends that she was only hanging out with Ryan and Marissa and that he was just there. That didn't particularly bother him because he knew it was a lie. Ryissa spent the majority of lunchtime sucking face so if Summer really did really want to hang out with them and be a third wheel, she was definitely fucked in the head. No, it was the other things she'd said that upset him.

'…_..…he is like, totally gay. It's so obvious he is mad crushed out on Ryan. You should see the way he drools over him at lunch, it's pathetic.'_

Seth knew she probably didn't mean to say these things and that she certainly didn't believe them. He knew it was likely her brain wasn't functioning properly during her angry rant but even so, that didn't make it any less painful for him to hear. Didn't she know that the main reason he'd been bullied and beaten everyday for the last four years was because all the jocks at Harbor were dumb homophobes who were absolutely convinced he was gay. With people as popular as her saying things like that, they were only going to become more convinced and more violent.

Seth felt physically sick at the thought that the girl he was in love with may actually be behind one of the reasons his life had sucked for such a long time. With his brain still running at a hundred miles a minute and the tears still streaming down his face, he got up and began the three mile walk back to his house. Fuck school. Fuck Ryissa. Fuck Summer. Fuck it all.

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'Cohen, are you in here?' Summer said softly as she stuck her head through his bedroom door after knocking and getting no answer. Still getting no response, she walked into his room to find him laid on his bed stroking Captain Oats. When he'd told her about the plastic horse she'd told him he was lame but she knew he could tell she actually thought it was adorable.

She hadn't told him about Princess Sparkle yet but she had planned to invite him round her house that weekend so that she could introduce them and she could hang out with him some more without the fear of being seen. They would've engaged in friendly banter, watched movies, ate ice cream and generally got to know each other better. Summer thought it would've been awesome but because of her own idiocy, she highly doubted it would be happening now.

'Hey Summer. If you came to borrow my ABBA CD's they're on the rack and I have a few dresses in the cupboard that you might like,' Seth said without looking at her, his words dripping with bitterness and sarcasm.

'Seth I'm really sorry okay. I never meant to say any of those things and I certainly didn't mean for you to hear them. It was all that bitch Holly's fault with her lies, she set me up. Please forgive me,' Summer said with a huge amount of desperation in her voice, she was practically begging. Seth finally turned to look her in the eyes. The pain in his eyes was so evident she could practically feel it. Knowing she had caused it made her begin to tear up.

'You know, I thought that you were different from Holly but how wrong did I turn out to be. I've been punched, kicked and spat on every single day since I started high school because according to the guys who do it, I am a faggot. And for the longest time I didn't know where they got this idea. Turns out it could quite possibly have been you putting it in their heads all along. You and your friends may well be the reason I've been miserable for as long as I can remember.' Seth said slowly with a mixture of extreme anger and pain evident in his voice.

'No Seth that's not true. I swear I've never said anything about you before and never will again. It was a heat of the moment thing and I would do anything to take it back but I can't, so please forgive me,' Summer pleaded, tears now streaming down her face. She wasn't lying either. She hadn't spread any rumours about him in the past, primarily because most of the time she didn't even know he existed and when she did she just didn't acknowledge it.

'As much as I'd love to believe you Summer, I can't. I just don't trust you anymore,' he replied in a strange, emotionless voice, 'and if I can't trust you, I don't think it's a good idea if we're friends anymore.'

'Seth no, PLEASE, please forgive me. I'll do anything just please don't shut me out, I need you,' she whispered desperately, choking back her own sobs. Her last statement surprised Seth to say the least. She'd said she needed him, what did she mean by that? The sight of her hurting like this made him want to forgive her, rush over to her, wrap his arms around her and comfortingly stroke her beautiful brown hair but he just couldn't.

Every time he thought about forgiving her, he thought back to one of the many times he'd come home in tears because someone had hurt or humiliated him. Knowing that she and her friends could've been the cause of that made him think that she didn't deserve his forgiveness.

'I'm sorry Summer,' Seth said firmly but not looking at her because if he did he knew he'd probably crack. 'I've made my decision and I'm not gonna change my mind, I think it's for the best. Anyways, I'm gonna go find Ryan, you know where the door is.' He stood up and brushed past her out his room, leaving her standing there with a pitiful expression and tears still flowing freely.

When he left she ran over to his bed and threw herself onto it, shoving her face into his pillow and sobbing hysterically. She didn't blame him for not forgiving her, she knew if she was in his shoes she probably wouldn't. She inhaled into his pillow, it smelled strongly of him which made her sob even harder. What the hell had she done? She hated Holly more than anything at that moment. She knew she was just as much to blame because she shouldn't of said what she did but she couldn't help but blame Holly for everything, It made it easier to accept.

Summer continued to wail into his pillow for a further twenty minutes, hoping that if she stayed there long enough he'd come back, see how sorry she was and forgive her.

He never came!

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	7. Dreams

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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It was 11pm on Saturday night and Summer was at Holly the slut's beach house already well on her way to passing out. It'd been a little under a week since she had lost Seth, not that she'd ever had him, and she figured the best way to get over him was to get wasted and make out with as many hot guys as possible. She wasn't doing it with the intent to make him jealous or anything like that because if she was in his shoes she knew she could never forgive him. No, Summer just wanted to take her mind off the sheer hopelessness and depression she felt whenever she was sober, even though she knew she completely deserved to feel that way.

In other words she was looking for a release and right now her release was the cup of straight vodka in her hand and the hot guy whose crotch she was grinding her ass against to the beat of an old 50 Cent song. She couldn't remember his name and didn't particularly care anyway because all she knew in her tipsy state was that, a) he was just another dumb drunk shithead with an erection, and b) he wasn't Seth Cohen.

She'd already made out with three other hot, nameless guys already but they just didn't seem to be making her feel any better. This was due to the fact that when she stuck her tongue in their mouths and closed her eyes, all Summer could think of was doing it with Seth, running her fingers through the gorgeous curls on the back of his head and breathing in his heavenly scent.

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Summer had spent what felt like the majority of the last five days in tears. The 24 hours after the incident, which had happened on an Monday, she had spent locked in her room sobbing, knees pulled up to her chest and rocking back and forth on her bed, she had looked crazy. She had refused to go to school or eat anything. Any normal parent would've been worried sick but her father had said she was just being pathetic and she should grow up.

When she finally emerged from her room on Wednesday morning, only because she was starving, she agreed to go to school but she was like a lifeless zombie. She had made just enough effort on her appearance to make sure that Holly wouldn't bitch about her but she was constantly in her own depressed little daydream which resulted in her learning absolutely fuck all. She'd had to sit with Holly and her entourage at lunch where she spent the whole time staring longingly at Seth, constantly on the verge of tears. He looked far from happy himself but not once did he glance in her direction.

Thursday was exactly the same if not worse because several times he walked right past her and even though she stared at him intently, trying to catch his eye and give him a pleading look, he just blankly stared ahead or looked the other way. Then on Friday, Summer experienced possibly the worst emotional experience since her mother left.

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It was second to last period geography, one of the few classes she and Seth had together. She'd come in late and the only seat left was right next to him. She sat down and stared intently at her desk, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that he was sitting less than three feet from her.

The teacher came in and told the boys to go to the right of the classroom and the girls to the left. He then said that they'd be doing a joint project and, because he was feeling mischievous, he would let the males chose their female partners. This was met by whoops of joy from the boys and groans from most of the girls. Summer just snapped her head up and scanned the crowd of boys for Cohen, this could be her chance.

'SETH COHEN.' The teacher shouted Seth's name first as his was the first male name on the register. She watched Seth's eyes scan down the row of girls until they reached her and their eyes locked. Finally after four days of trying, she'd managed to make eye contact with him and she was using the precious moment to fix him with a look that clearly said, 'I'm begging you Cohen, please pick me. I don't care what other people think anymore, I just want you back in my life. We'll have fun doing the project and I'll prove to you that you can trust me, just PLEASE pick me.'

She had never given anyone such a desperate and pleading look. She knew he had got her hidden message because his gaze lingered on her a lot longer than the others. But to her dismay, he snapped his gaze away from hers and continued looking down the line before saying.

'I'll go with Laura.'

Summer had never believed in heartbreak, until that moment when she felt like hers had actually shattered inside her chest. He'd picked Laura Hernandez. She was as unpopular as him, not because she was geeky or ugly, she was actually quite pretty, but because her family was poor and she was in Harbor on a paid scholarship due to her abnormal intelligence. In Harbor, poverty was another quality that the majority of the snobby student population, including Summer, did not want to associate with. Naturally Laura looked thrilled that someone other than a dumbass jock who'd only want her to do all the work had chose her, and gave Seth a big grin which he returned.

Summer watched their exchange and felt like her world was collapsing, she felt physically sick. Seth had chosen someone else despite the desperate look she'd given him and now they were gonna go off and do the project together, fall in love, get married, have little Laura's and little Seth's and live happily ever after.

When Summer had finally been picked by James Trundle, a moronic water polo player who had been trying to get into her pants for years, she asked if she could be excused to go to the bathroom. When she got there she locked a cubicle and slid down its wall, pulled up her knees and put her head in them before breaking out in huge uncontrollable sobs, not caring if anyone came in and heard her. She'd rarely cried at school before, never over a boy, but this was no ordinary boy, this was Seth Cohen, the best thing that had ever happened to her and now it was official, he hated her.

After ten minutes Summer managed to get a hold of herself. She stepped out of the cubicle and studied herself in the mirror, she looked as shitty as she felt. After tidying herself up, Summer made her way back to class only to see Seth now sat with Laura, chatting animatedly. She looked on sadly knowing that if she could turn back time to less than a week ago, she would be in Laura's position and loving every second of it. She also knew that she wasn't going to get another chance with him, so she had to get over him and she knew exactly how to do it.

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Summer stopped her grinding and looked up as he walked in. It was like she sensed his presence. He was with Ryan and Marissa but not for long as he saw Laura standing alone in a corner and went to join her. Summer felt a huge twinge of anger and jealousy.

Evidently the hot guy plan wasn't working so she walked away from dumbshit and headed towards the drinks table. She was resorting to Plan B, codename "Act Like Marissa." She was going to find a nice big bottle of vodka/gin/whatever, sit on her own in a corner and drink until she couldn't feel the pain anymore.

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'LH, what's happnin home girl,' Seth said with a grin on his face as he walked over to Laura.

'SC my man, jus chillin. This party is OFF THE CHAIN,' she replied with her own grin and in the same fake gangster style.

Even though Seth had only really known Laura a day, he could tell their friendship had big potential. They had a similar sense of humour and before yesterday's lesson had even finished they were already engaging in friendly banter much similar as to how he and Summer used to be at lunch, until she had gone and fucked it all up that is. The only difference was he had absolutely no interest in being anything more that Laura's friend. As much as he didn't want it to, his heart still completely belonged to Summer. It was also a relief to know that Laura felt exactly the same way about him.

Apparently living in the less desirable side of Newport, or the "hood" as Seth called it, had a tendency to make people aggressively blunt because as soon as he had sat next to Laura yesterday, she turned to him and said he "looked like the kind of guy she could be friends with," but she "most definitely wasn't attracted to him," and if he ever made a move on her she would, quote, "snap his skinny ass in two." they had got on so well and felt so comfortable together that they agreed they should go straight to his house that night and continue with the project, but they just ended up hanging out, playing playstation and telling each other about their lives.

For instance, Seth already knew that she was quite the tomboy. Her passion was mechanics and ever since she could crawl she had loved to take electric things apart, fiddle with the insides and put them back together again. Her favourite thing in the world was restoring old cars and she was currently in the process of restoring a banged out 1969 Chevrolet Impala that her dad had somehow managed to get her. This was a very slow process considering her family had like no money and she had to work for weeks on end at a local garage just to be able to afford the smallest parts.

Naturally Seth had told her about Summer and that whole situation. She had strongly agreed that he was right not to forgive her which made him feel much better about his decision. He loved Summer so much that he could read her like a book and he could tell from sneaking glances in her direction at school that she was miserable. He felt guilty, knowing it was because of him. Never had he imagined that their friendship break-up would affect her this much but it was too late now, he had to retain some of his dignity that she had brutally shattered.

Thinking of Summer, Seth scanned the room for her, it wasn't like her to miss a party. Then he saw her. She was slouched in a chair in the corner, bottle of grey goose in hand and she was knocking it back like it was apple juice.

After ten minutes of pretending to be listening to Laura about how she was only a week from being able to afford new brakes for her car but actually watching Summer out the corner of his eye, Seth began to panic. Sure he'd seen Summer drink before, hell at one point last year she'd been as bad as Marissa, a borderline alcoholic, but never anything like the rate she was going now. Seth knew everybody else was too busy to be paying attention to her, which also made him realise it was up to him to stop her before she did herself some serious damage, or maybe even worse.

'Listen LH I'm really sorry but I gotta go do something, I'll see you in school on Monday okay.'

'Yeah no problem, keep it real homeboy,' she replied with a grin, putting a fist in the air like a sign of solidarity. Seth gave her one last smile and a small wave before turning and heading across the room to his drunken love.

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'Summer.'

It took Summer a long time to react to her name being called and when she did she whipped her head round too fast, causing it to loll to one side. It took her a lot longer than normal to register who it was.

'Heeeeeey Cohen,' Summer slurred. '_God she really is wasted,'_ Seth thought. 'Having fun with **Laura**,' she continued bitterly, emphasising her hatred on the other girl's name. 'Wait……...have you come to forgive me because that would be like soooo great because I miss you. You're like soooo funny and awesome,' she said while drunkenly staring up at him with a bright hopefulness in her eyes. Seth sighed, why did she have to be so perfect, even when she was drunk? He bent down so his face was level with hers and gave her a small smile.

'How about if you stop drinking and let me give you a ride home then I will forgive you. How does that sound, do we have a deal?' Summer looked like she was thinking long and hard about it but actually she was so wasted her reactions had slowed to about a tenth of their normal speed.

'Okay lets go,' she finally shouted excitedly and jumped up a little too fast, causing her to stumble and hit the floor face first. She burst into hysterical laughter and when Seth finally pulled her up she threw her arms around his neck, pressed her face into it and began to lick it. 'Cohen……..you're so……..amazing………and cute………what would………I do………..without you,' she drunkenly mumbled in between licks. Seth just stood there transfixed, he'd dreamt about Summer doing things like this ever since he'd hit puberty. He was so dazed by what she was doing that he didn't catch a word of what she said. It took him a little while to remember that she was totally hammered and if she wasn't, she most definitely wouldn't be doing it.

'Come on Sum, lets get you home,' Seth said when he finally came to his senses. He moved round behind her and put his hand on the small of her back to direct her. He had his hands at the ready to catch her because she was visibly swaying, struggling to put one foot in front of the other. When they finally reached the range rover he opened the rear door and let her collapse onto the seat and sprawl herself out.

Seth got in the drivers seat and moved off, not giving two shits that he'd just taken Ryan and Marissa's only means of getting home, his only concern was getting Summer home and her emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. He looked at her through the mirror. Her eyes were closed but she had a big goofy grin on her face and she was mumbling so incoherently that he could only catch the odd word.

'Cohen……..mmmmm………..sorry………please friends……….funny……….awesome……….Holly bitch……….pleeeeeease.'

Seth smiled at the sight. He knew he would rather swallow his pride and give her another chance than risk her getting that messed up again. Having said that, she was incredibly cute when wasted. When he pulled up in the Roberts driveway, Seth jumped out the car and opened the rear door. It took him a full five minutes to get Summer out because, while still hanging to her consciousness by a thread, she seemed to have lost all ability to make even the tiniest movements on her own. He hauled her up to his level and she somehow managed to put her head on his shoulder and snake her arms around his neck while his arms went round her waist. Slowly he began to haul her up the front steps.

Seth knew she was still conscious because of her barely audible mumbling but she seemed to have completely given up on walking and her feet were just being dragged along, he imagined that an incredibly expensive pair of boots were getting totally ruined. He also thought of how bad it might look if a neighbour was surveying the scene through their window, she was so wasted and unable to move that it could easily look like Seth was lugging a dead body about.

'Summer where are your keys?' Seth asked when they reached the door.

'Bag,' was all she could find the energy to say in a whispered reply.

'Shit I left it in the car. Just stay there for a second,' Seth said as he propped her up against a pillar. She was so lifeless, she was like an incredibly hot paperweight. He didn't know why he'd added the "just stay there" part as he knew she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. When he returned he tried and failed to suppress a grin at the sight before him. Summer had slipped down the pillar and curled herself into a fetal position, she looked too cute to be true.

'Come on Sum, lets get you to bed,' he whispered softly as he bent down with the intention of pulling her up. He froze when she put her arms around his neck again, opened her eyes and fixed him with the most vulnerable look he had ever seen. She looked like a little girl in a mall who'd been separated from her mommy.

'Cohen……………tired……………….carry?' she whimpered in a quiet voice as pleading as her look. Seth just gave her a smile, nodded and kissed her forehead, an action that seemed to dramatically lift her mood as she erupted into a fit of loud giggles.

Seth stood up, unlocked to door and bent down again to scoop her up. Even though she was a small girl, he was surprised at how light she was. Either that or he was incredibly strong and he highly doubted it was the latter. Her arms snaked around his neck again and she buried her face in his chest as he began to carefully move up the stairs.

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Surprisingly Seth didn't find it too hard to find her room. He guessed he just got lucky when he tried the door with a brightly coloured plaque on it that read "SUMMER'S ROOM." As he was about to lay her on her bed, he heard her say something clearly and urgently against his chest quite a bit louder than when she had previously spoken.

'Bathroom!'

Seth knew exactly what she was about to do. He made it to the bathroom and laid her down next to the toilet a split second before she started heavily vomiting. He traced comforting circles on her back with one hand and held her hair back with the other as he watched her wretch a full five times before letting her face fall against the toilet rim, whimpering and panting heavily.

Puking seemed to have sobered her up a bit. She was still wasted and wouldn't remember anything in the morning but it seemed she was now able to move alone as she got up, staggered over to her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth. Seth just watched in awe. She was even able to make drunkenly brushing her teeth after hurling look sexy.

After she'd finished brushing her teeth and washing her face he followed her into her room, close behind her to make sure she didn't fall over. However he was caught unawares when she sat on her bed and without warning, peeled off her tank top and unclipped her bra, exposing her smooth, full breasts. Seth immediately felt his pants tighten and the heat begin to radiate from his face at an alarming rate, they were more perfect than he'd ever imagined.

Seth knew he should stop looking before she noticed he was still there but he couldn't look away, he was mesmerized. He blushed even harder when Summer looked up and saw him staring. To his surprise, she just flashed him a seductive smile and slurred, 'see anything you like?' Seth just gave an embarrassed nod in reply as he seemed to have lost all ability to talk, a first for him.

Summer got up and stumbled over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed her naked torso into him, causing his eyes to almost double in size. She put her lips on his earlobe and began to lightly nibble before putting her forehead on his and huskily whispering, 'come on Cohen, I know you want me so lets go, show me what you've got.'

Seth was in dreamland. Here was the girl of his dreams offering herself to him but it didn't feel right. Damn parents, why did they have to raise him with such good morals and ethics? He wished for once he could be like one of the asshole jocks and take advantage of a drunk girl. Although he wanted Summer more anything else in the world, he wanted her to want him back then actually remember it the next day. Knowing he could never live with himself if he didn't do the right thing, Seth moved away from her and said, 'look Summer, I think it's best if we don't do this okay.'

'WHAT,' Summer shrieked in a panicked tone, 'don't you find me sexy Cohen,' she added in a hurt whisper, her eyes filling with tears.

'No Summer I do, I really really do. It's just you're wasted and you wouldn't want to do this if you were sober so I'm not going to take advantage of you. Now you need to get some sleep, I'll see myself out. See you on Monday.' Seth turned to leave but was stopped in his tracks when he heard a sob behind him.

'Cohen.' He turned round to see Summer, who had put on a pyjama top that was on her pillow, looking straight at him with tears streaming down her face. 'Cohen please don't leave, I have no one,' she mumbled in between sobs. 'My mommy left me and my daddy hates me, I have no one. My friends don't really care about me. You did but I hurt you and now you hate me too, I have no one'

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Seth felt his heart break at the sight of the beautiful girl in front of him who'd been neglected and abandoned by everyone she loved. He'd watched drunk Summer from a distance enough times to know that unlike most people who began to ramble a load of bullshit, she tended to spout the brutal and honest truth and what she actually felt. For example she had once told Holly that she was a fake slut who she hated, Marissa that she was a drama queen alcoholic and Chip Smith, the most popular guy in school, that despite him being incredibly hot she was so not attracted to him because he was "as thick as pig shit."

Seth ran over and gripped her in a tight embrace, letting her sob into his chest while he stroked her beautiful hair. After ten minutes of gently rocking her back and forth he pulled her away, looked her straight in the eyes and said, 'Summer, I don't hate you and you do have someone, you have me. I will always be there for you no matter what.'

'Promise?' Summer said with a watery smile and a hopeful glint in her eye.

'Promise,' Seth replied, bending down and giving her a kiss on the nose which made her break out in a big drunken goofy grin, before resting her head on his chest again. After five more minutes of comfortable silence she decided to break it.

'Will you stay here tonight?' Summer asked softly, moving her head from under his chin to fix him with a pleading stare.

'Oh, I uhh, I-I don't know if that's such a good idea Summer,' Seth stammered, she was still very drunk and he thought she may want to continue attempting to seduce him and despite his morals, he didn't know if he'd be able to resist her for a full night.

'Please Seth,' she begged, the desperation evident in both her voice and chocolate brown eyes. 'I don't want to be alone anymore, please say you'll stay. I just want to wake up to somebody else being in the house for once.' Seth knew he couldn't say no, especially when it looked like she was about to burst in to tears again.

'Okay I'll stay,' he said with a defeated sigh. He knew that even if she wasn't his girlfriend she'd always have him well and truly whipped. Summer just grinned goofily at him, linked the fingers of both her hands with his and leant up to give him a kiss on the cheek before turning round and beginning to take off the rest of her clothes.

Seth's brain kicked into gear earlier this time and he span round before he saw anything. He heard her removing her boots, jeans, socks and finally her underwear and just the thought of what he could be looking at was giving him an erection. But there were his damn morals again, he even considered looking to be taking advantage.

Being the virgin that he was, Seth considered seeing Summer's boobs plenty enough for one night. He knew that if he hadn't turned round quickly enough and had gotten a glimpse of her pussy or bare ass, he would've had to have gone into her bathroom and jerked off to calm himself down. When he was pretty sure that she was fully covered in her pyjamas, Seth turned around. She was lying in bed and smiling shyly up at him. She patted the bed next to her, an action which clearly told him to join her.

'Uhh nah that's okay, I'll just sleep on that thing,' Seth mumbled, pointing to a huge pink beanbag in the corner of her room.

'Cohen don't be so stupid. Take your shoes, socks and pants off and get your skinny ass under these covers now!' Summer said in reply. She was still very drunk and slurring her words. Seth highly doubted that tomorrow morning she'd remember anything that'd gone on past 11pm.

That was Seth's biggest worry about this whole him staying over plan, that she might wake up in the morning not remembering a thing, see him laying next to her and scream "help" or "rape" or something along those lines, landing him in the police station. But as always, Seth found himself automatically obeying her command, stripping down to his boxers and vintage T-shirt and then slipping under the covers next to her. To his delight, she snuggled up to him, tangling her legs with his, draping an arm over him and once again putting her head on his chest.

'Goodnight Cohen,' she mumbled, not looking up at him.

'Night Sum,' he replied with a smile on his face, feeling like he had died and gone to heaven.

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Forty five minutes later Seth was still awake, thoughts of what had happened in the last few hours running through his mind. Yes most of them thoughts were of Summer's perfect boobs, an image that would stick in his memory forever. Considering she hadn't spoken since they'd said goodnight, he was pretty sure she was asleep even though he hadn't heard any snoring but apparently not.

'Cohen,' Summer whispered softly, causing Seth to jump and open one eye to look at her. It wasn't very dark in the room and he could see she had her chin rested on his chest while deeply staring at him with a small smile on her face. 'Do you want to know a secret,' she said, starting to giggle.

'Yeah sure,' Seth replied with an amused grin, knowing when she was drunk she always told the truth. This was the perfect opportunity to get some dirt to tease her with at school he thought.

'I like you,' she stated simply. Seth rolled his eyes, not really getting what she meant. He'd been hoping for something like "in tenth grade Marissa and I fingered each other" but no, all he got was that she was his friend.

'I like you too Sum, aren't friends supposed to like each other, now go to sleep.'

'No I **"like you"** like you, as in more than a friend like you.' Summer looked away blushing and giggling while Seth just stared at her, stunned. If his theory of drunken truth was correct, that meant what she was saying was actually coming from a real place, they weren't just drunken ramblings. 'You're so smart and funny and not to mention like totally cute and I can honestly say I've never felt this way about anybody before.' Seth couldn't believe what he was hearing but wait, there was more. 'I want to be your girlfriend like soooo much but I can't because Holly and everyone will laugh at me and I don't like to be laughed at. But I just wanted you to know that even though we can't be together, that's what I want more than anything in the world, goodnight Seth.' With that Summer laid her head back on his chest and was flat out within seconds. Seth however was wide awake, he just didn't know what to do, say or think. It sounded so real, like it was coming from her heart and she had no control over it.

After ten minutes of serious debate raging inside his head, Seth decided that she had meant it. God, Summer Roberts liked him. He knew she would've never, ever have told him when sober but he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that there was a chance that he could turn every dream he'd had in the last five years into reality. The only thing standing in the way of him being with his dream girl was her own insecurities about being seen with him but he was going to do everything in his power to change that.

He couldn't help the ecstatic grin that spread on his face when he looked down at her sleeping frame. 'I like you too Summer,' he whispered, 'more than you know,' before falling into the most peaceful sleep he'd ever had.

Guess what he dreamt about!

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	8. Falling ins and falling outs

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Summer awoke to two things on opposite ends of the pleasantness scale. On one hand she had a splitting headache and really felt like barfing, on the other she had a pair of strong and comforting male arms wrapped protectively round her waist.

Her first instinct was that it was her dad and she was the six year old again who used to slip into her parent's room and snuggle up to him whenever she got frightened in the night. Then she remembered. Her dad hadn't loved her in years and she didn't have another male in her life. Her face paled considerably and she felt the urge to vomit for an entirely different reason. Oh god, what had she done.

She remembered the night before, well she remembered it up until Cohen walked in and ran straight over to that skank Laura, after that everything was blank. She knew she must've gotten pretty wasted and ended up hooking up with a random. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she thought about the guy gripping her, who she couldn't give a fuck about, taking her innocence in a bout of drunken sex that she didn't even remember.

Although she gave off the impression that she was very sexually active, Summer had actually been saving herself for a guy she had real feelings for, a guy like Seth, but now she was just another cheap slut like Holly. She was terrified at what she'd see but Summer knew she'd have to turn round at some point and look at the face of the guy who had taken the one thing he could never give back.

Seth awoke from his amazing slumber to find himself spooning Summer, his face pressed into the back of her neck. He knew she was awake just by her body language; she was stiff and trying to move as little as possible. Seth sighed knowing what was about to take place probably wouldn't earn him any brownie points with her. He moved away from her to let her know he was awake. Summer felt the guy move away and slowly turned to face him.

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'Cohen,' Summer said blankly, her brain not yet registering the significance of who it was. Seth just smiled and nodded. 'Hi, uhh…………wh-what are you doing here. I-I…………I thought you didn't like me,' Summer mumbled, her face reddening at the thought of what they might've done. If they had had sex, it didn't bother her as much as it would've done if it was with a random jock because she knew if she could've chosen anyone to make that drunken mistake with, it would've been him.

Despite how embarrassing it was going to be, she needed to know if she was still a virgin or not. 'Uhh….………we uhh….……….we-we didn't uhh………….you know,' she said quietly, looking anywhere but him and her face turning from red to more like a crimson colour. Seth just looked at her confusedly until it finally dawned on him what exactly she was asking.

'Oh uhh………umm, no, no we didn't. Y-you were wasted and I-I………….I would never take advantage of you, or any girl for that matter, I……………I'm not like the other guys at school,' Seth stammered.

Summer let out a sigh of relief and fixed her stare on him. He definitely wasn't like the other guys at school, he was about 1000 times better in every single way. He was now also bright red with embarrassment and was looking anywhere but her, she imagined it was probably the most uncomfortable situation either of them had ever been in.

'I…………...I saw you drinking yourself into an early grave and although we've recently hit a rocky patch in our friendship……..……I-I still care about you……..……a lot.' He blushed even harder at his last statement and Summer grinned at his shyness, she was starting to feel more relaxed by the second. 'So I offered to give you a ride home just to stop you from giving yourself alcohol poisoning,' Seth mumbled.

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Summer's heart melted, even when she'd hurt him so bad he refused to let her hurt herself. Now completely comfortable with the situation and actually enjoying being so close to him after almost a week without him, Summer decided to lighten the atmosphere with some teasing. 'So, how exactly did you just giving me a ride home, lead to you being half naked in my bed and spooning me?' she said with amused tone and a raised eyebrow.

Seth sensed by her teasing tone of voice that she was no longer uncomfortable with the situation and she wasn't angry with him. This made him relax a considerable amount. 'Actually Summer,' he replied with smugness oozing from both the grin on his face and his tone of voice, 'I'll have you know that you requested I stay over. When I initially refused you began to cry so I agreed just to get you to stop. Furthermore, I said I would sleep on your beanbag but you just wouldn't hear of it AND……..' he said, making the last word a little louder because it looked like she was about to interrupt him, 'when I finally did get in bed **you** snuggled up to **me**,' Seth said to emphasize the fact that it was all her fault. Seeing her raise her eyebrows and give him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him, Seth just smiled and nodded his head proudly to reaffirm his statement.

Just when she had began to calm down after the whole sex conversation, Summer felt her cheeks begin to burn up at this new information. She knew Seth was telling the truth because he'd never lied to her before and he didn't strike her as the kind of guy who'd just make up dumb stuff like that. 'I was being stupid,' Summer mumbled, no longer able to look at him, 'you should've just left. Everybody says stupid shit when their drunk.' Seth just smiled and nodded, knowing in her case that was completely false but not wanting to upset her.

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A few minutes of comfortable silence ensued. Summer quickly managed to compose herself and moved on to staring intently at him with a smile on her face, examining his gorgeous features. Seth was doing exactly the same until he decided to speak up.

'Are you mad at me?' he said quietly, eyeing her cautiously, 'you know, for staying over.' Summer just gave him a big smile and shook her head, something she instantly regretted when she felt vomit rise up her throat. Not wanting the moment to end, she forced it back down.

'Nah its okay,' she said. She then surprised him by scooting closer to him and resting her head and a hand on his chest. 'Actually it's kinda nice, you're an incredibly comfy pillow Cohen.' Seth just grinned proudly.

She then stretched out her supple body. Her pyjama top rode up leaving quite a bit of smooth, tanned skin exposed. Seth looked away, the last thing he needed was to get an erection because that wouldn't make the situation awkward in the slightest. Summer looked down at her body and her face paled considerably. She closed her eyes and whispered, 'oh God. Cohen. Please tell me I changed myself.'

Seth chuckled at her dramatic change of mood. 'Don't worry Summer you changed yourself and I didn't watch.' Summer sighed in relief. She'd never been body conscious around guys before but she couldn't help feel that if Seth was ever to see her naked, she wanted to be freshly showered and waxed, not drunk and sweaty from dancing.

'Although.' When he said it Summer looked up, fearing the worst. He was now looking away from her but she could still tell he was blushing furiously. 'I-I was following you to make sure you didn't fall over and uhh, you-you kinda didn't give me any warning before you ripped off your top so I-I-I, uhh, you know, I got quite a good look. I-I-I'm really sorry Summer it was a total accident, I hope you're not mad.'

Summer broke out in a big grin at his stuttering and blushing, he was so cute when he was embarrassed. She knew it was very likely the first time he had ever seen a pair of breasts up close and not on his computer screen. It didn't particularly bother her that he'd seen them, after all, all the popular guys in Harbour had, she'd flashed them at parties enough times.

Summer shook her head and said, 'don't worry about it Cohen, its okay.' Seth just looked up at her and gave her a thankful smile. She saw the opportunity for some teasing. 'So uhh…...……did you like them Cohen? I only ask because judging from your embarrassment, they were the first pair you've ever seen in the flesh,' she said in an amused tone. However, things didn't go as planned as what she said seemed to upset him.

'Yes Summer I did like them,' he replied in a stern tone of voice with a harsh look in her direction. 'Because despite what you may tell people I am in fact a straight male and there's not a straight guy in Orange County who wouldn't want to look at your boobs.'

Summer's grin faded instantly only to replaced by a seriously hurt look. She turned away from Seth, not wanting him to see the silent tears that had almost immediately began to fall. She was not crying because of the harsh tone he had used towards her, but over being reminded of what had happened a week ago. How she'd been so stupid. How she'd hurt him so much which in turn caused her to have to endure one of the worst weeks of her life.

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Seth instantly felt bad for speaking to her like that. He could tell she was crying due to the fact he kept hearing the odd whimper and sniffle, even though she was trying to hide it. He scooted over and ran a soothing hand on her back. Apparently it was enough to make her give up on trying to hide her tears as she spun round, flung her arms round his neck, buried her face in his shoulder and began to sob loudly.

'Come on Sum, I'm really sorry for snapping at you, please don't cry,' Seth said soothingly, stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other.

'That's……...…..not……...…..what this……...….is about,' she managed to mumble out between sobs and sniffles. Seth barely heard her because her face was buried so deep in his shoulder.

'What's it about then,' he inquired in a confused voice.

'It's about what I did and how bad I feel about it. I need you to know Seth that I'm so, so sorry for what happened,' she said after pulling back and staring at him with red puffy eyes. 'If I could turn back time I would do anything, ANYTHING to take back what I said, but I can't,' she added as her lip began to quiver again. 'I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness and I have to accept that I'll probably never get it. What I do need you to understand though, is that I'm nothing like Holly or the other girls. I've never said anything about you before and never will again, it was an unintentional, heat of the moment thing. The last week I have been utterly miserable. I-I guess when I said it, I-I…..……I didn't realise just how m-mu-much I had begun t-to rely on y-you to b-br-brighten up m-m-m…...……..' Summer couldn't finish the last sentence, she just buried her face in his chest and broke into hysterics but Seth knew what she had been trying to say.

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Despite her wailing into his body, Seth could help but smile down at Summer. He was truly touched by her words. She'd basically told him that he had been the reason she always seemed to have that gorgeous smile plastered on her face before the incident. But that was to be expected when she liked him. God, he still couldn't believe what she'd said last night. Since he still didn't fully trust her, Seth had decided that he wouldn't bring it up and that they'd give the friend's thing another try and see how it worked out this time.

'Summer, I don't care about what happened anymore. I'm willing to give the friends thing another shot if you are.' Upon hearing this, Summer's head shot up faster than the speed of light and Seth chuckled at the absolutely stunned look on her face. It was evidently the last thing that she had been expecting to hear.

'Really, you really mean it?' she said, a twinkle in her eye and a huge grin on her face. Seth just gave her his own massive smile and nodded to confirm that he really did mean it. Summer just threw her arms round his neck and started to sob into his shoulder again only this time, they were tears of joy.

When Summer had calmed down she pulled back to look at him, the massive smile still plastered all over her face. She took his hands in hers and said, 'thank you Seth, thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me and I promise you won't regret it. I know I don't even deserve a second chance so there's no way in hell that I'm gonna mess up this time,' she said giddily. 'OH COHEN I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH' she squealed as she threw her arms round his neck again with such a force that he was knocked backwards onto her bed with her falling on top of him. She placed a long soft kiss on his cheek and then put her head under his chin.

'I've missed you too Summer,' Seth said with a happy glow radiating from his face. After a few minutes comfortable silence, Seth spoke up. 'Hey Summer, please tell me you're gonna start sitting with us at lunch again because I really don't want to be just a third wheel to the Ryissa anymore. Sum, are you listening? SUMMER?' He pulled her up to look at her and noticed that she was a violent green colour. She was opening her mouth to talk but just closing it before saying anything, she looked like a goldfish. It seemed to Seth that the events of last night had finally caught up with her.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Seth picked her up and carried her into the bathroom before setting her down gently, just in the nick of time before she started emptying her stomach into the toilet. Seth sat next to her, holding her hair back and whispering comforting phrases such as "that's it, let it all out sweetie" and "you're doing great baby, just a little bit more". Summer never thought she'd see the day where she could stick her head in a toilet, puke six times and still come up smiling.

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'COHEN. FOOD'S READY!' Summer shouted from inside the kitchen. Since she'd been on a pukefest and pumped her body full of paracetamol she felt a lot better. Now here she was, fully dressed, happy glow on her face, ready to sit down and eat her first meal of the day with Seth. And to think it was only three in the afternoon. She'd cooked Seth her specialty, scrambled eggs on toast with baked beans, bacon and sausage, she sure loved meat. She remembered back to the time Marissa had tried to convince her to join her in becoming a vegetarian, HA! Summer had literally told her to go fuck herself.

While Summer had been cooking in the kitchen she had told Seth to chill out in the lounge and watch TV. Unsurprisingly he had obeyed her command and was sprawled out on her sofa watching Pimp My Ride. He'd never watched more than ten seconds before due to the fact that he thought Xzibit was a total tool, but he remembered Laura saying it was awesome so he thought he'd give it a shot. He wasn't really watching, but thinking. His mind had been so occupied by Summer the last fifteen hours that this was the first chance he'd had to sit down and contemplate the consequences of him staying over.

Fuck! His parents were going to rip him to shreds in terms of punishments and when they were done Ryan would probably physically destroy him for taking his only way of getting home last night. Trying to attempt damage control, Seth decide to give his brother a call and see how much shit he was in with both him and the parents.

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'WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?' Ryan snarled into the phone as soon as he saw the caller id and picked up. Seth flinched at his brother's tone of voice.

'Hey buddy, what's goin on?' Seth replied, trying to act as cheerful and innocent as possible.

'Don't give me that bullshit, you know exactly what's going on, four miles Seth, four miles.' Seth opened his mouth to enquire what Ryan meant. He got halfway through his first word before Ryan interrupted him with an answer. 'FOUR FUCKING MILES I HAD TO CARRY A PASSED OUT MARRISA OVER MY SHOULDER TO GET BACK TO THE HOUSE,' he bellowed down the line, so loud that Seth pulled the phone as far away from his ear as his arm would let him. If Seth said he wasn't scared he would be lying, he was absolutely fucking petrified.

'Ryan man, you have no idea how sorry I am,' Seth said pleadingly. He really was sorry. He knew Ryan would do anything for him and didn't deserve to be treated the way Seth had treated him last night. 'It's just Summer was drinking, like killing herself drinking and the only way I could get her to stop was to physically get her out of there and get her home. One thing led to another and I just ended up sleeping over here.'

'Whatever man,' Ryan replied angrily. 'Just get your ass home before dinner and you should be okay.'

'WHAT?' Seth said loudly. 'You mean the rents don't know.'

'No, they don't,' Ryan spat in reply. 'For some reason which I'm not quite sure of myself because you definitely don't deserve it, I covered for your skinny ass. I told them that you definitely came home with me and that you'd said something about going out early and meeting the comic book club for breakfast, they seemed to buy it.'

'YOU DID WHAT?' Seth said, absolutely astounded by Ryan's loyalty. 'Ryan, seriously man, you are the best brother I could've ever hoped for. I love you like sooo much right now.'

'Okay do you wanna just stop right there with the gay shit and get home, you owe me big time. I hated lying to them, especially for an asshole like you,' Ryan said in a surly tone.

'You're right Ryan, I do owe you big time and I swear to God I'll make it up to you for the whole ditching you thing. I don't know what I'm gonna do yet but I swear to you, it'll be awesome. Okay man I gotta go, I'll be there in a couple of hours.'

'Hold up a minute, what the fuck are you doing Seth,' Ryan said, the anger evident in his voice 'I know you've liked her since forever but seriously man, taking advantage of her when she's drunk? That's low. If somebody told me my brother had done that, I'd instantly think Trey not you.

'Ryan it's so not like that, I-'

'You know what, save it man, I'm so disappointed in you I can't even listen to your excuses right now, just come home.' Before Seth had a chance to reply he heard the dial tone loud and clear in his ear. He flipped his phone shut and sighed, feeling horrible.

Seth knew Ryan was used to being treated like a doormat by his real family but had seemingly gotten used to not getting it from the Cohen's. Seth knew he had let his best friend down and was determined to make it up to him no matter how long it took.

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'Hey Cohen,' Summer said cheerfully, practically skipping up to him. She stopped and grew concerned when she saw the look on his face. He was pale and had the most pitiful look she had ever seen. 'Cohen, are you okay?' she asked slowly, eyeing him worriedly. When Seth just shook his head, Summer ran up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his chest. She was concerned about him but the hug was just as much for her as it was for him. She just wanted to be close to him, to breathe in his scent, to touch him. 'Seth what's wrong,' she cooed softly in his ear.

'My brother hates me,' he said weakly. Summer pulled away and looked at him as if he was crazy.

'Who Ryan? Oh Seth please, you two have like the most perfect friendship ever. Everybody can tell just by looking at you two together that you will literally be best friends forever. And I'm not talking like Paris and Nicole best friends, I'm talking Ben and Matt best friends,' Summer said, smiling up at him.

'Yeah I know, I thought that too,' Seth replied, scratching the stubble forming on his chin, 'but I kinda fucked up really bad last night. I was so concerned with getting you home safe, I kinda forgot that the Range Rover was the only way of him and Marissa getting home. I just got off the phone with him. He had to carry a passed out Marissa the four miles from Holly's beach house to our house and to say he was a little bit pissed would be the understatement of the century.'

Summer frowned. 'Oh my God, this is all my fault. Come on Seth it so is,' she said as he shook his head. 'I mean everything shitty that's happened to both of us in the last week is because of me and my stupid, hurtful comments,' she whimpered miserably as her eyes began to fill up with tears for what seemed like the millionth time that week.

'Don't you dare let those tears fall Summer Roberts,' Seth said sternly as he wrapped his arms round her and kissed her forehead. 'I've seen you cry enough for one day thank you very much. And don't you dare blame yourself for me and Ryan, I was the one who chose to take you home and to be honest I'm still glad I did.'

'Okay but will you at least let me talk to him at school tomorrow and tell him that you would never have done it if I wasn't such a stupid, drunk bitch.'

'No Summer,' he replied in a strong, defiant voice. 'I'm not letting you take the blame for something that you had absolutely nothing to do with, END OF.'

'FINE,' Summer said huffily before turning her back to him. 'I was just trying to help,' she added in a surly tone.

'I know you were Summer and I'm grateful for that, I really am,' Seth said as he walked over and placed a hand on her back 'but honestly there's no need, I'll handle it myself. I don't think Ryan's one to hold a grudge anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if he's forgiven me by school tomorrow.' Summer just nodded her head to show she'd heard. 'Besides,' he added in a cheerful tone, 'that's not my main concern right now. My main concern is that I'm pretty sure I heard you shout my favourite word in the whole wide world, FOOD.' Summer burst into a fit of giggles and tuned round to face him and give him a playful shove.

'Yeah come on dumbass,' she said through her giggles, taking his hand and leading him in the direction of the food, 'it's probably stone cold by now.'

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'Holy shit Sum I can't believe you made that, that was awesome,' Seth said, rubbing his now full stomach. Summer grinned at him. They were sat outside at the table near the pool, basking in the California afternoon sunshine.

'I'm glad you liked it.'

'Liked it, I loved it. I'm gonna have to bring you home when you're drunk and stay over a little more often.' Summer just looked away as she blushed, she didn't tell him that she'd love for him to stay over more often. They sat in peaceful silence for a few minutes before Seth decided to speak out about something that had been bothering him. 'So Summer, where are your parents?'

'Oh uhh, my dad's at a conference in New York. He's gone for two weeks and the step monster decided to go with him,' she muttered, unable to look at him.

'So does he uhh, does he work away a lot,' Seth asked cautiously, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

'Well yeah but he cares about his job, he's a very busy man. Anyway, what's with all the questions?' Seth sighed, he knew he had to tell her.

'Look Sum, I didn't wanna say anything but you kinda said some things last night.' Summer snapped her head up to look at him. She was as white as a sheet and looked absolutely terrified. _'Oh God, I didn't tell him I liked him did I. Please God he can never find out,'_ she prayed in her head.

'Wh-wh-what kind of things,' she whispered.

'Y-you uhh, you started crying about how lonely you get in this big house and that you just wished you could wake up to someone else being here,' Seth said slowly. He really didn't want to tell her but he had to know if what she'd said was true.

'Yeah well like I said before, everybody talks shit when their drunk,' she mumbled, turning bright red.

'Oh come on Summer,' he replied softly, 'it's okay to admit that you sometimes get lonely, that you need someone to talk to, I know I would in a house this size'

'I don't need anyone,' she replied fiercely with an angry glare in his direction, 'I'm just fine on my own.'

'Okay okay,' Seth said quickly, putting his hands up in a surrendering motion, 'I'm just saying that if you ever do get lonely or bored or whatever in this big house and you don't want to deal with Marissa's drama, you're always welcome at my house.'

'Thanks Cohen,' Summer said, flashing him a shy smile. She didn't let it show how much his words had touched her. It felt so good to know that she had someone if it ever got too much. After a few minutes spent awkwardly catching each others glances and giving shy smiles, Summer decided to strike up a conversation about a topic she needed more info on.

'So Cohen, you and Laura huh, do you like her?' Summer asked casually. She picked up another slice of toast and began to butter it, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. Seth just smirked her, he knew what she was doing and the fact that Summer Roberts was jealous of his relationship with another girl made him ecstatic. Although he'd forgiven her for last week, Seth still felt that she didn't deserve to get away with it scott free and this was an ideal way to punish her.

'Yeah she's really cool, we have like tons in common and she is absolutely hilarious.' He looked up to see a look flash across Summer's beautiful face that was very obviously a mixture of pain, anger and intense envy. The look only lasted a split second before she noticed him studying her, only for it to be replaced by what was (to Seth anyway) very clearly one of the fake smiles that she had perfected over the years. After a few seconds of peace, Summer spoke up again.

'Do you think she's pretty?' Summer enquired, still trying to sound as laid-back as possible. Seth could barely contain his grin.

'Yeah I do actually, she's very cute.' He wasn't lying either. Laura was petite, around the same height as summer, of Latin origin and had mousy brown shoulder length hair. She also had the most beautifully intense green eyes that he'd ever seen, they were almost as sexy as Summer's deep chocolate brown ones. While he couldn't deny that he found her attractive, Seth also felt that she couldn't hold a candle to Summer's pure and natural beauty.

'Oh,' was all it took Summer to say in a hurt voice to make him regret saying it. 'Well if you ever want any tips on how to gain her affections Cohen I'd be happy to help, I mean that's what friends are for right,' she mumbled in a quiet voice, not meeting his eyes. Seth knew that he couldn't continue with his act because it was clearly upsetting her and he loved her so much that whatever hurt her hurt him. He decided to break the mood with a light-hearted comment.

'Nah that's okay,' he replied. 'We work really well as friends but I have a feeling we just wouldn't work as a couple. Besides, I do think she's hot but not half as hot as you Summer,' he finished with a cheeky grin and blushing cheeks. When he said it Summer went a deep shade of red but couldn't prevent the smile that curled onto her lips.

'Thanks Cohen,' she mumbled shyly in reply.

'No problem,' he muttered, just as embarrassed. 'Anyways I gotta go, gotta get back and face the wrath of Ryan.'

'What about your parents, won't they be pissed?' Summer enquired as she walked with him towards the garden gate.

'Actually they don't know. Even though he hates me at the moment Ryan covered for me and told them I went out early this morning how awesome is that? He like goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to helping me out.' Summer just nodded at his words, an incredible sadness had descended upon her. Seth obviously noticed as he said, 'what's up Summer, you look a little sad.'

'I am,' she replied, 'I had a really good time today, apart from the puking. I just wish you didn't have to go so soon,' she added quietly as she looked away, her cheeks burning up wildly. Seth beamed happily at her.

'Summer, I know I'm irresistible and you want to keep me forever but I've got to go, my parents would eventually notice I'm missing.'

'God Cohen, cocky much?' she said with a smirk. 'I'll be seeing you in about fifteen hours anyway and I think I can live without the "_irresistible Seth Cohen_" for that long. Now go on, get your scrawny ass outta here.' Seth just gave her one last huge grin which she returned before walking over to his car and hopping in. He gave her a wave as he moved off which she also returned.

Summer sighed happily and rested her head on the garden gate as she watched his car disappear round the corner. Deep down she knew that when it came to Seth Cohen, a certain dreaded four letter word beginning with L was fast approaching. But being the stubborn girl that she was, Summer fully intended to deny or ignore it until it either went away or was practically punching her in the face.

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'So guys, how were your days, do anything interesting?' Sandy asked. He was trying to break the obvious tension and uncomfortable silence that had been present since the start of dinner. Ryan just grunted in reply and surprisingly, so did Seth. This all but confirmed for Kirsten and Sandy that something was up because Seth usually used that question to start a twenty minute non-stop rant about how shit his day was.

'Thanks Kirsten, that was a great takeout as always,' Ryan said as he began to stand up. 'If anybody needs me I'll be in the poolhouse.' As soon as the door shut both parents' heads span round to focus on Seth.

'Okay what the hell happened between you two, you've obviously had a falling out but what about?' Kirsten said to her biological son.

'You are indeed correct as always mom, Ryan and I have had a little disagreement, may I be excused to try and go fix it?' When his mother nodded, Seth got up and began to stroll out to the poolhouse.

'Hey buddy,' Seth said as he entered.

'Hey,' was all he got in reply from Ryan who didn't even turn to look at him.

'Listen man, I know you're pissed off at me, hell you have every right to be, but I just wanted to say again how sorry I am for what happened. I swear it'll never happen again and I'll do anything you want to make it up to you. I'll even let you borrow my Deathcab CD, how does that sound buddy.' Ryan couldn't help but smile, something that didn't go unnoticed by Seth. He knew he was cracking already and that he really shouldn't in order to teach Seth a lesson but he couldn't help it. Seth was the best friend a guy could ever ask for and he trusted him when he said it wouldn't happen again.

'Thanks man, that'd be cool,' Ryan said with a grin, actually thinking Deathcab were shit but not wanting to offend his adoptive brother's beloved music.

Seth let out a sigh of relief. 'Great. Soooo, we cool man?'

Ryan smirked. 'Yeah we're cool.'

'That's good news buddy because I have a lot of shit to fill you in on but not right now. I'm pretty beat so I'm gonna head on up to bed, see ya bright and early man.' Just as Seth turned to leave he remembered something. 'Hey Ry, what you said on the phone about me taking advantage Summer while she was drunk. Do you really believe I'm capable of doing that?' Ryan looked away from Seth. He knew his answer would hurt him but he always told him the truth because that's what people who care about each other do, tell the truth even if it's painful to hear.

'Honestly, yes I thought you might've done it,' Ryan said as he turned and saw the pained look on Seth's face 'but only because I know people can do crazy things when they're in love and it's obvious now from the look on your face that you didn't and never will. I'm sorry for ever thinking you'd do it.' Seth just smiled at his brother. Ryan had forgiven him already so now it was time for him to return the favour.

'Don't worry about it buddy. Anyways I'm gonna go, see you in the morning, I've got a hell of a story to tell you.' With that, Seth turned and was gone, leaving a smirking Ryan alone.

'Everything okay?' Sandy asked as Seth returned to the kitchen.

'Yeah dad everything's cool. Me and Ryan had a little heart to heart and I am pleased to announce that we're BFF's again,' Seth said with a grin on his face.

'Well that's good,' Kirsten replied. 'Now that that's been sorted, would you mind telling us where you really stayed last night son?' Seth closed his eyes, he knew everything was too good to be true.

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	9. Choices

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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Although he was in the shit with his parents, Seth felt that life had never been better. He thought it was crazy that in the space of about four months he'd gone from having a plastic horse as the only thing he could talk to, to having a circle of close friends, a brother and the girl of his dreams having a secret crush on him.

Seth decided to just straight up tell his parents the honest truth. He told them all about Summer pouring straight vodka down her throat at a hundred miles an hour, how she was slowly poisoning herself and no one else was paying attention so he took matters into his own hands. How he'd taken her home and was about to leave before she broke down in hysterics, begging him to stay, so he did just to get her to calm down.

Thankfully his parents believed him and because his intentions were good they'd let him off lightly. He was to come straight home from school and do all his homework and was banned from playstaion, comics and pudding for two full weeks, a punishment he felt he could handle.

Ryan had also been grounded for a week for lying to them and was taking it hard. Seth was pretty sure that if he hadn't had a long chat with him in which he convinced him that teenagers were supposed to lie to their parents, he would've packed his bags and headed back to Chino saying he was a disgrace who wasn't worthy of their love.

Seth had identified that as one of Ryan's biggest insecurities, the belief that he wasn't good enough to be a part of the Cohen family and if he ever made a mistake they'd want him gone. He had no idea as to why Ryan found it so hard to believe that he was now an integral part of the family and no matter what he did, they were always going to love him.

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Things with Summer were also back to being awesome. She had kept her promise to him that he wouldn't regret giving her another chance. While she didn't exactly broadcast that she was his friend, she had begun to have brief chats with him in the corridors between classes, even when he was on his own. Seth was amazed by her dedication to keeping her word when he heard her talking to Holly.

They had been stood a few yards away and hadn't noticed him when he heard Holly ask her why she'd started sitting with Ryan, Marissa and super dork at lunch again. Summer said because they were her friends. When Holly asked if that included Cohen she'd said yes. She then added that she'd judged him too soon last time and that he was actually pretty cool, that he was really funny. Holly just said "whatever" and that it was Summer's reputation on the line. Seth had snuck off with a big smile on his face before she spotted him.

He hadn't thought it was possible for him to fall even deeper in love with Summer Roberts but he did in that moment. He was so proud of her. He knew how much she loved being popular and that she was pretty much risking it all by openly having a friendship with him. Seth couldn't have cared less if she had gone back to denying their friendship, he just didn't want her to say any more nasty things about him. Here she was though, telling all her popular "friends" that she thought he was pretty cool.

It all but confirmed for him that she'd never do anything that would risk their friendship again. Seth completely trusted her again and that made him seriously consider telling her that he knew about her feelings and that he felt exactly the same way.

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There was also Laura, his caliente new latino friend. She was hot and spicy in every way and Seth was really beginning to enjoy her company. They had finished the project, which they had three weeks to complete, in about three days but she still came round his house to hang. She'd stayed for dinner several times and met his parents who absolutely adored her. There had been an incident on the first meeting which had been quite embarrassing. Sandy being the unobservant dumbass that he was, had asked if they were together, a question that had brought red faces and stuttering upon both teenagers.

Seth had also been to the "ghetto" and met her family. They were certainly an interesting bunch to say the least. She lived in a small three bedroom semi with her dad Jerry and her 22 year old twin brothers Christian and Vernon, her mother had died giving birth to her. Jerry worked as a machinist in a factory a few miles out of town that manufactured drill bits. He worked long hours for no money but Seth could tell that family always came first as far as he was concerned. He was a chubby guy with a ponytail and goatee and had a strong Mexican accent. All of his children, including Laura, had picked up his accent just not as strong.

Then there were the twins. Chris and Verne for short were the craziest characters Seth had ever met. They looked like gangsters because they wore nothing but khaki trousers and wife beaters and had large tattoos all over their incredibly muscular bodies. Seth would've been absolutely terrified of them if he hadn't already met them and known they were the nicest people he would ever have the pleasure of meeting. One never went anywhere without the other, they were like the new Laurel and Hardy. They worked as bouncers at a seedy local club.

All the guys had instantly taken to Seth. It seemed that they were all similar to Laura in the sense that they were blunt, to the point and had a fondness for making fun of him, dubbing him Seth the Stick. Seth just took it all in his stride and gave as good as he got, nicknaming Jerry Fatman Scoop and the twins Dumb and Dumber.

Seth had no idea why he felt so comfortable with them, after all they were the sort of family that would be more commonly found in Ryan's former neighbourhood. He guessed it was probably due to the fact that they were the first family he'd ever met in Newport that were completely unprejudiced towards him. They didn't give a fuck that he was filthy stinking rich and a complete geek, while he couldn't give two shits that they were piss poor Mexicans.

Yes Seth Cohen was definitely happier than he had ever been. He had the parents, the brother and the friends. Now all he needed was the girl, and he was more than halfway there.

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'Oh ha ha ha, stop it you're killing me,' Seth said sarcastically.

'Well maybe if you weren't such a beanpole I wouldn't be able to make fun of you so much, oh wait, yes I would, there are after all about a thousand other reasons,' she replied with a cheeky grin while popping a chip in her mouth.

Summer just sat silently and watched the whole exchange with a look of disgust. It was Monday and had been eight days since she had woken up blissfully in Seth's arms and been given a precious second chance. However, she had walked into school the day after to find that she had stiff new competition for the spot of most important girl in his life in the form of his skanky latino project partner Laura.

Summer had been giddy with glee when the bell rang for lunch that day. She had practically ran to the outside eating area, only to find **her **seat next to Seth already taken. Seth had once dubbed them the fantastic four. Summer had called him a dork and said it was totally lame but secretly she had loved it because in truth she thought it was absolutely completely and utterly fantastic, there was no other way to describe it.

But now with the addition of Laura the whore as Summer called her, he'd decided to rename them the fabulous five. Summer thought it was more like it was still the fantastic four just with one added skank who wouldn't take her hints and fuck off.

One week later Summer found herself in the same position, on the extra chair pulled up to the end of the table between Marissa and Laura. Seth and Ryan had their usual chairs next to the wall. She didn't know why they didn't like sitting in between two people, she guessed it was just another one of those stupid guy things like peeing standing up or being scared of any kind of physical contact with each other, other than a handshake or thug greeting.

'Hey Summer did you hear that. Laura can finally afford to get those Dayton rims for her car at the weekend, how awesome is that?' Seth said with a happy smile.

'What, oh yeah that's great Laura, that car is gonna be so sweet when it's finished,' she replied with fake enthusiasm. Summer didn't like Laura, no correction, Summer hated Laura. She tried to convince herself that it was because they didn't have anything in common. She liked waxing tanning and shopping, while Laura liked grease stained clothes pulling dirty old cars apart and knowing the neighbourhood she lived in, crack or heroin. But who the hell was she kidding, Summer knew the exact reason she disliked her so much.

Ever since Laura had become a part of the group, an unwanted one in Summer's eyes, she had only been getting half the attention from Seth that she had become used to and most of that was spent talking about Laura's stupid car. It wasn't Seth's fault, he was as great as ever, hell he was more than great, he was perfect. She knew Seth was just being a good friend and trying to split his time evenly between the two of them but Summer couldn't help but remember back to a time before the incident when she had been the sole focus of his attention, and she had loved it.

Nowadays though, most of the chatter was done was between him and Laura, as was most of the friendly banter and fun poking while Summer sat sulkily at the end of the table and said very little, occasionally sending the other girl intense glares of jealousy and hatred. As far as Summer was concerned, Laura had taken something that rightfully belonged to her, Seth's undivided attention, and if there was one thing Summer hated, it was a thief.

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'Hey Cohen. Cohen. Seth,' Summer chanted sweetly, trying to catch his attention. 'Ugh fine, ignore me asshole,' she mumbled angrily to herself while shooting an angry glare in the direction of Laura. Of course she didn't notice it because she had her back to Summer and was deep in conversation with Seth.

After a few more minutes of being completely ignored, Seth and Laura still deep in conversation and Ryan and Marissa making out, Summer couldn't take it anymore. She picked up the small plastic container that had previously held the contents of her salad and launched it at Seth's head like a frisbee. It struck him by the corner just above the eye and definitely caught his attention.

'OW……….what the fuck Summer?' he said harshly while rubbing his face and sending an angry glare in her direction. Summer smiled sweetly at him, all the while thinking that that ought to teach him for being such a dick and ignoring her.

'What lesson you got next?' she asked in an innocent voice. She knew full well he had math next and that her physics class was on the way to his. Back before the incident she had asked to see his timetable and had memorised it so she could plan her routes between classes and take well timed bathroom breaks that would enable her to see him as much as possible during the day. She had pretty much become a stalker.

Now with Laura in the mix, Summer got so little alone time with him she was even willing to walk down the corridors with him between classes. Sure she'd got some funny looks but she didn't care anymore, all she cared about was being with him.

'Maths why?' he replied irritably, still rubbing his face and glaring in her direction.

'I was just wondering,' Summer replied nonchalantly. 'I've got physics next which is on the way, do you wanna walk with me?'

'Yeah sure,' Seth replied, all anger forgotten. He was a little shocked that she was asking him but there was no way in hell he was gonna reject her offer. 'You ready to go now?'

'Uh huh, lets go,' Summer replied as she gathered her things. 'See you guys later,' she said as she stood up. Either Marissa and Ryan didn't hear her or they just couldn't be bothered to break their lip lock, she guessed it was the latter.

Summer knew she was being petty but she couldn't help it. As she and Seth walked away she looked back and gave Laura a triumphant smile over her shoulder. Laura just gave her an amused smirk and shook her head, a gesture that clearly said "you're so pathetic", but Summer didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that she now had Seth's unwavering attention for a few minutes, something that had become like gold dust to her in recent weeks.

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'So Summer, what's up?' Seth said as he walked down the corridor with her, trying to ignore the death glares he was getting from all the water polo players. They obviously thought he was harassing her because there was no way in hell that Summer Roberts would be seen dead with a loser like him. How wrong could they be.

'Nothing's up, I just feel like I haven't talked to you in a while you know.'

'Yeah I know and I'm sorry about that. I've just been busy, what with school and hanging with Laura, it's been hectic.' At the sound of Laura's name Summer felt her chest tighten. She knew that he'd been spending time with her outside school, helping her with her car.

Although Seth had told her he wasn't interested in being any more that Laura's friend, Summer couldn't help but think that if they continued to spend the large amount of time together that they currently were, stronger feelings for each other were bound to develop. Summer knew she had to do something to prevent that from happening, she had to fight back.

'Don't worry about it,' Summer replied casually even though she actually felt like crying. 'I know what with helping with the car you've finally found a masculine thing you're good at, but doesn't it kinda defeat the whole point when you're being taught by a girl,' she added in a teasing voice, Seth just smirked at her and gave her a playful shove.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed before Summer decided speak up. 'So…...……umm…...…I was uhh……...…I was wondering if you wanted to come over on Saturday and hang out. We could, you know, umm hang out and……...….do, uhh...………stuff…...…….or not, whatever I don't care,' Summer mumbled, turning a deep shade of red and looking away from him.

Seth couldn't help the jubilant grin that spread across his face. 'Sure Summer that'd be awesome. Anyways here's your stop, have a good lesson and maybe I'll see you later,' he said bending down to give her a hug. She immediately relaxed into the hug and felt sparks fly at his touch. She breathed in his delightful scent and when he pulled away she was possibly even more flustered than before.

'Okay, bye Seth,' she said shyly, giving him a smile before turning and sauntering into the classroom.

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Midway through last period history, Summer was having what she had recently begun to call Seth Cohen withdrawal symptoms. It'd only been an hour and a half since she'd last seen him but history was incredibly boring and when she got bored, Summer's mind began to fill with thoughts of one person. Thoughts about him hugging her, kissing her, touching her like she had never been touched before. She needed to see him. Knowing that he had French which was on the way to the bathroom, she asked to be excused and went to satisfy her craving.

When Summer got to his classroom she peeked though the door window and instantly spotted him. He was sat at the back and had his head rested in his hand looking thoroughly bored. He looked up and spotted her peeking through the door. Summer gave him a massive grin and a frantic wave. He waved back with his own smile and blew her a kiss which made her giggle. She practically skipped off towards the bathroom, feeling happy and satisfied. It was little moments like those which made her realise why she loved Seth.

FUCK! Summer froze, did she really just think the words Seth and love in the same thought. She now freely admitted to herself that she had really, really strong feelings for him but **love**? That's was a pretty strong feeling to feel towards a guy she still had trouble acknowledging in public. She knew that she really liked him but she just couldn't be in love with him, could she?

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Summer was putting a fresh layer of cherry red coloured lipstick on in front of the bathroom mirror when she heard the door swing open.

'Oh it's you.'

'Afraid so,' Laura replied with a smile, she knew Summer didn't like her and she knew exactly why, she just couldn't have cared less. She stood next to Summer and pulled out some eyeliner. They stood for a few moments in silence, neither wanting to speak first. Laura decided to make the first move. 'So, have you had a good afternoon since I saw you a few hours ago?'

'Not really, I got history at the moment so how can I be good,' Summer replied shortly without even turning to look at her. She couldn't even be bothered to pretend to like her when Seth wasn't around, it was all an act for him anyway. Laura just nodded in reply and they both went back to primping themselves quietly.

'Why don't you just tell him that you like him?' Laura said unexpectedly. Summer turned to stare at her, eyes bulging.

'I-I…...……I'm sorry…...…….I uhh I……..…..what?' She sounded just like Seth.

Laura grinned at her. 'Come on Summer, it's so obvious you want to be more than his friend. And let me tell you, he tells me things and I know for a fact he likes you too.'

'I……..…I don't know what the hell you're talking about,' Summer mumbled in reply, bright red. That was a lie, she knew exactly what Laura was talking about and even worse, she knew it was one hundred percent true.

'Right, you have no idea,' Laura said sarcastically. 'So there is absolutely no reason as to why you go as green as a tree when he talks to me at lunch. If you're worried about the competition then don't, I'm not interested in the slightest and I don't think any other girls are, he's all yours.'

'I already told you, I don't like him you stupid bitch,' Summer replied fiercely and loudly while sending a death glare in Laura's direction.

'What the hell is your problem? He's smart, hilarious, really cute and pretty much in love with you, what more do you fucking want,' Laura practically shouted. She was really starting to lose her temper at Summer's denial and stupidity. At the other girls words, Summer froze. What in the hell more did she want? He was practically everything she could've asked for in a guy.

'I……...……I just………...I love being the girl that everyone turns to look at when I walk in the room and I guess I'm just terrified that if I get with him, I'll become like him, you know, unnoticeable. Okay I admit it, I really really do like him and would love nothing more than to be with him but I'm scared shitless that I'll become a loser if I do,' Summer replied quietly and sadly, tears forming in her eyes. Laura softened at the sight of her. It was clear to her now that Summer was just a lost and confused girl who may or may not be in love for the first time.

'I understand where you're coming from Summer, I really do. If I was the most popular girl in school, I wouldn't want to do anything to risk it,' Laura said softly, rubbing Summer's arm as she looked like she was about to cry. 'But you need to figure out what you want, Seth or being the queen of Harbor. You probably won't be the most popular girl anymore if you choose him but there's no way you'll just instantly become a loser or as unpopular as him. You'll still have ninety nine percent of the girls wanting to be like you and one hundred percent of the boys wanting to be with you. But whatever you decide, you need to do it quick because the choice isn't always going to be there and you may end up losing one or the other, or both. Look Summer, I gotta go but if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here for you.'

'Please don't tell him,' Summer whispered.

Laura decided not to tell her that he already knew. Instead she decided to do what she does best, make a smartass comment. 'Hun, if you keep looking at him like you're a lovestruck puppy dog I ain't gonna have to tell him, he'll figure it out himself and he's a retard, that's how obvious you are.'

Summer just nodded and gave a small smile while wiping away the moisture forming in her eyes away with a tissue. With one last comforting smile and a pat on the arm, Laura strode past her and out the door. She knew she'd left Summer with a lot to think about, she just hoped to God she made the right choice.

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It was quarter to five and Summer was just heading down Harbor's front steps towards her car. After her twenty five minute bathroom break, Mr Dawson being the assface that he was had decide to keep her after class for an hours detention and get her to write a two page essay on the negativity of internal truancy, which he then scanned for all of ten seconds before throwing it in the bin right in front of her. God she hated that dick.

Summer threw her handbag on the backseat of the silver BM and got in the drivers seat. She agitatedly jammed the key in the ignition. The car squealed but didn't start. She tried again three more unsuccessful times before resigning herself to defeat. She banged her fists on the wheel and screamed in frustration. 'God this day just keeps on getting better and fucking better,' she mumbled angrily before popping the hood and getting out to have a look.

'Hey what's up?' a voice said from behind Summer, causing her to jump and bang her head on the underside of the bonnet, something that hurt like hell. She turned while rubbing her head to see Laura standing there smirking at her. It was obvious she was greatly enjoying Summer's pain and frustration.

'My stupid fucking shitty ass car won't start,' she replied irritably while giving the car bumper a good kick. 'What the hell are you still doing here?'

'Oh I was just putting in some extra work on my electronics project. My teacher encourages me to do it because apparently I'm the most gifted student he's ever had in twenty years of teaching,' she replied with a proud smile on her face.

'That's cool,' said Summer dismissively, not interested in the slightest. 'Do you think it'd be okay if I caught a ride home?' she asked, not even bothering to put on a polite voice to hide her pissy mood.

'No,' Laura replied bluntly.

'No!' Summer said in disbelief, mouth hanging open. 'Why the fuck not?' she said angrily. 'I mean I thought we were friends, or at least pretending to be for Seth's sake.'

Laura smirked. 'We are friends, or pretend ones, whatever, I couldn't give a shit either way. I said no because I can see from here what's wrong with your car and it'll take me all of five minutes to fix it.'

'Really, that'd be awesome thanks,' Summer said, giving the other girl a smile and being civil for the first time in the conversation.

'Whoa, easy there tiger. If I help you, what're you gonna do for me,' Laura said with a mischievous grin.

'Well umm………...…I got my chequebook with me, how much?'

'Summer I may be poor but I'm not gonna take your money. We're friends remember, or pretend friends, whatever I'm not sure. Anyway, no, in exchange for me fixing your car, I want you to tell Seth about how you really feel about him.'

'Laura please, anything but that. I'm gonna tell him in my own time but please, I'm not ready yet.' This was partly true. Ever since their conversation in the bathroom a few hours ago, Summer had been going through periods of "should I, shouldn't I" in terms of telling him. Deep down in her mind though, Summer had already made her choice.

Laura had made her realise that her popular friends, the students who adored her, nothing, NOTHING was worth more to her now than what she already had with Seth. Knowing that she had the chance to have something even deeper with him had effectively sealed her decision. Even so, she was still shit scared about telling him and this was exactly what she needed, someone to her give a push.

'Come on Summer, we both know that when you say "in your own time" you actually mean never. Nope that's my offer, I suggest you either take it or get walking,' Laura said with a sly smile.

'Fine,' Summer replied sulkily, 'he's coming over on Saturday, I'll tell him then.'

'Good, I'll go get my tools.'

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'There we go, that should do it. Try it now.' Summer, who was sat in the drivers seat, obeyed Laura's command and turned the key. The engine roared into life. Laura closed the hood and walked round to Summer with a pleased expression on her face. 'You shouldn't have any problems with it for a while now.'

'Thanks for all your help Laura. I know I've not always been the nicest to you and I was kinda hoping that after this we could be friends, real ones not pretend,' she added with a smile.

'No problem and yeah that'd be cool, being real friends. Just remember your side of the deal, you tell him on Saturday. I fully expect you two to be an item come Monday morning.'

'Okay,' Summer replied, her smile morphing into more of a grin. 'About that, I wanna thank you for giving me a push in the right direction. I guess I've always known what I wanted to do, I just didn't have the guts to go through with it without someone supporting me, or forcing me should I say,' she added with a small laugh.

'It's no problem Summer, I knew you were a smart girl and would make the right choice. He makes you happy, much happier than being queen of Harbor will ever make you, it's plain for all to see. And believe me, the way he talks about you, you make him just as happy. Anyway enough with the cheese, I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Yeah bye Laura and thanks again.' Laura smiled and nodded before turning away and walking towards her dirty old pickup.

Summer pulled out of the lot and sped off towards her house. She had a lot of shit on her mind, like how exactly she was going to tell Seth about her feelings and how he would react to the news. She was experiencing very mixed feelings. On one level, Saturday couldn't come soon enough as far as Summer was concerned but on another, she wished she could go back to a simpler time before she knew Seth Cohen even existed.

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	10. Two angels

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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'_Just do it. You've denied your feelings for long enough and you know they aren't going to change. You want him, no, you NEED him. He makes you happier than you've ever been, much happier than being the prom queen will ever make you. You used to have so many things on your mind but now? Now your every waking thought, and your dreams for that matter, are consumed by him. Doesn't that tell you anything, because it smells a lot like luurve to me? Go on, tell him. Do what you know is right and what you know you really want to do, what's the worst that can happen?'_

'_No. You can't. YOU WON'T. NO NO NO NO NO. You love being popular, you can't risk it all on him. It might not work and then where will you be, as alone as before but a complete fucking loser as well. He's not worth it, no guy is. When he comes over, you need to hold in everything you want to say and he'll be gone before you can make any slip-ups. He may seem perfect now but you're forgetting he is a guy and they always turn out to be assholes in the end. If you do it, you're nothing but a weak, pathetic bitch who's surrendering to his control. Don't let him win, you'll only be setting yourself up for heartbreak.'_

It was ten to two on a sunny Saturday afternoon and Summer was frantically pacing up and down her living room wringing her hands together nervously. There was a serious battle raging inside her head. She felt like she was a character in a cartoon and she had a little imaginary angel on one shoulder telling her to be with Seth, and a little devil on the other telling her to hide her true feelings.

He was going to be there in ten minutes and she still had absolutely no idea what she was going to do. She knew she'd promised Laura that she would tell him and knew that it was what she really wanted to do, she just didn't know if she could go through with it. It wasn't as simple as choosing what to have for dinner. This was a choice that could possibly determine her whole high school future and maybe even beyond that.

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'_Just tell her man, tell her you know how she feels and that you've felt the same way since you were about ten. On second thought skip the ten year old part because it's kinda creepy. There's never gonna be a better time to do it. You're all alone, watching a romantic movie or somethin, it's the perfect setting. Imagine how amazing it would be if everything went to plan, it would be the greatest moment of your life. Can you honestly live with yourself if you be a little bitch and chicken out? Sure being her friend is awesome but that's not what you really want is it? Nope, you want her heart just like she has yours. You always have, always will and that's why you need to act upon your feelings.'_

'_Are you out of your fucking mind? You're willing to risk everything you already have with her on the basis of her drunken ramblings. SHE WAS WASTED FOR FUCK'S SAKE. Don't do it you dick, don't even think about it. If you go in there all guns blazing, I promise that you'll only come out with your heart torn in two. Is that what you really want? I mean, what's better, having her in your life at the price of hiding your true feelings, or telling her the truth and having her break your heart and never talk to you again? It's entirely up to you! It's your choice! But if you think about it logically you dumbshit you'd realise that there isn't even a choice to make. If you've got half a brain you'd know what to do. DON'T………………FUCKING……………TELL HER!!!!!!'_

Both sides of Seth's conscience were also in an intense wrestling match as he drove toward Summer's house. His own little angel was telling him to confront Summer about her feelings, while his demon was telling him to not risk what he already had with her. He was struggling to control the speed of the car as his foot was shaking so violently. He had no idea what he should do and the closer he seemed to get to her house, the cloudier his brain seemed become.

Seth knew what he wanted to do. Problem was he'd never been the most confident of guys, especially when it came to the opposite sex, and when he happened to be in love with this particular girl any confidence he did have seemed to go out the window. There was also the fact that he had no real proof that what she'd mumbled to him in her drunken state a few weeks ago held any truth whatsoever. The last thing he wanted to do was to get his heartbroken and lose her friendship all in the same day, because he had a hunch she liked him and that hunch turned out to be utter shit.

All Seth truly knew was that he loved her and he wanted nothing more than to be with her, he just couldn't risk losing her friendship to find out if she felt anything stronger towards him.

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'Hey Seth,' Summer said shyly as she opened the door. He just gave her a grin and a small wave in reply. She stared at him intently. He'd gone for a haircut since she had last seen him yesterday afternoon and was even wearing clean, ironed clothes. _"Holy fuck he is so sexy!" _she thought to herself. _"This is going to be one long afternoon."_

'Uhh……….Summer, hello.' She was snapped out of her thoughts by him waving his hand in front of her face.

'Oh umm, sorry……………uhh, come in.'

'Thanks. So uhh……….what do you wanna do?' Seth said as he walked in and closed the door. '_I know what I wanna do,' _he thought. '_I wanna tell you that I love you. Well I wouldn't say that, it's too soon and would freak you out. But just give me a sign that you feel more than friend feelings towards me and I'll make a move. Please Summer, just set the record straight, one way or the other.'_

'I was thinking we could watch a movie,' she replied in a casual tone. 'I got Spiderman on DVD if you're interested.'

'I am interested Summer,' Seth said in an amused tone, 'but never in a million years would you strike me as being a comic book movie fan, care to explain.'

'Well I just think it's the perfect movie for us to watch together. I mean it's got comic book lameness and Kirsten Dunst in a wet t-shirt to keep you entertained, and Toby McGuire in skin tight clothing definitely keeps me happy,' Summer replied with a teasing tone.

'What can I say Summer,' he replied with an amused smirk, 'your logic is flawless. I just pray to God you remembered to buy dip. Spiderman the movie just isn't the same spiritual experience without dip.' He grabbed both her shoulders and shook her while adding in a fake panicky voice, 'please Summer, tell me you've got some kind of fucking dip.'

Summer giggled at his adorable dorkyness. 'Calm down Cohen, I think we've got some Mexican dip somewhere. The movie's on the couch, set it up while I go find your precious dip will you?'

'Sure thing cutie pie,' he replied with a cheeky grin.

'Cutie pie?' she enquired in an amused tone with a raised eyebrow.

'Yeah I just thought it'd be cool if we had nicknames for each other. I could be uhh……………..papa smurf. NO, WAIT! I got it, the perfect nickname for me…………………….DARTH COHEN,' he said in a low voice with the heavy breathing for added effect. By this point Summer was bent double with hysterical laughter.

'OH MY GOD! You are so lame you know that,' she said happily, tears in her eyes because she had been laughing so hard. 'You genuinely like Star Wars don't you?'

Seth grinned at her and nodded. 'So much so that from the ages of nine to ten, I would only respond to being called Boba Fett.' Summer burst into a fresh round of giggles.

'Whatever, more like Homo Fett.' she managed to get out between giggles. 'Anyway, set it up and I'll be back in a few, and don't you dare start it without me asshole,' she added over her shoulder with a smile. She sighed happily as she practically skipped off to the kitchen. When she got to the fridge, instead of opening it she started lightly banging her head against it.

'_What the fuck are you doing Summer, apart from making a complete ass out of yourself? Yes he's a funny guy but is there any need to giggle at every little joke he makes, it makes you look like a total retard. For God's sake pull yourself together woman, you and him just wouldn't work. You have like less than nothing in common and you don't even know if he feels the same way. Yes he's definitely attracted to you, you can tell that much from the way he undresses you with his eyes. But he is a guy and most guys just want to fuck you then forget you. What if he's the same? Are you willing to get your heart broken in order to find out? Just get through today Summer and never invite him over again.'_

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'For God's sake Cohen, for the last time NO! You are not hanging upside-down from the chandelier so we can re-enact the kiss scene. This floor is very expensive mahogany wood and I really don't want a permanent stain on it when you fall and crack your head open on it you clumsy oaf,' Summer said in a defiant voice although she had an amused smirk on her face. She didn't tell him that an upside-down kiss with him sounded like the hottest thing in the world to her and just thinking about it was making her flustered.

The movie's end credits were rolling and in the space of the movie, she had gone from sitting as far away from Seth as she possibly could while staying on the same couch, to lying down with her head in his lap. He was running his fingers softly through her hair but neither of them were thinking anything of it. It felt so natural, so comfortable, like it was meant to be.

'Oh that's really nice Summer,' Seth said with fake bitterness. 'Real nice to know you care more about your stupid floor than you do about my personal wellbeing.' Summer just smiled sweetly at him and nodded. 'Soooo, say if I were to think of a way to do it that was of no risk to your treasured floors, would you?' he added with raised eyebrows. Summer pretended to think about it for a second then just smirked and nodded.

'I suppose, but only out of pity. You've gotta have your first kiss at some point, better late than never I guess.'

'Hey! I've been kissed before,' he replied with a glare.

'Oh really? Sorry to inform you Cohen but your mom or grandma doesn't count,' Summer countered with a grin.

'Ha ha Summer real funny. For your information I don't mean anyone I'm related to, I've kissed someone before.'

'Really. Who?' Summer said, curiosity getting the better of her.

'Marissa,' Seth said proudly with a smug grin on his face.

'WHAT!! WHEN?' Summer shouted, an intense look of rage and jealousy spreading across her face. 'Why the HELL didn't she tell me?'

'Calm down Summer and I will explain the whole story to you……………….in all it's perverted, graphic glory,' he added. His grin grew even bigger when he noticed her nostrils begin to flare in rage, she looked like a bull in front of a red rag. 'Okay so we were six and our mothers had set up a play date. We were playing mommies and daddies and we decided to kiss to make it more realistic. From what I remember, it was hot! Ryan is one lucky guy.' By this point Summer's face was blank, showing no emotion whatsoever. All of a sudden she burst into hysterical, uncontrollable laughter.

'Cohen…………………………that……………………….is so………………………lame,' she managed to gasp out inbetween hysterics. She was laughing so hard her face had turned bright red and her stomach ached.

'Oh you think that's funny do you bi-atch, you think its lame. I'll show you how lame it was. Come here hoe, I'll kiss you right now and show you how lame I am. You'll go weak at the knees, I guarantee it,' he said as seriously as he could, even though he had a massive grin on his face and was struggling to contain his laughter. He then flipped her so she was underneath him and puckered his lips and began to make kissing sounds as he playfully moved his face towards hers.

'EW NO, NO. COHEN…………………….STOP…………………..STOP COHEN,' Summer shrieked through her giggles, writhing to fight him off although not really making maximum effort because in truth she really did want him to kiss her.

'No way bi-atch you asked for it, I'm gonna kiss the shit outta you,' he tried to say in a fierce tone but he was also laughing by this point. He blocked her playful slaps directed at his face and pinned her arms to her sides with his forearms. Then all of a sudden, the mood changed.

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Summer stopped struggling and Seth released his grip on her. Both their smiles had faded and their eyes had locked. There was a passionate fire in both sets of eyes and sparks were flying all around them at colossal speeds. Summer's arms slowly moved from her side and snaked up around his neck. She began to twirl the curls on the back of his head with her fingers and she bit her lower lip nervously.

'_Just do it Summer, it's now or never. YOU WANT HIM and here he is, yours for the taking. Don't fight it, don't deny it. In fact don't even listen to me, your brain, do what your heart is telling you. Do it, do it, DO IT!!!!'_

Summer slowly arched up her back and began to move her head closer to his. She could feel his breath, which had rapidly increased, on her face. It smelled strongly of dip but she didn't care. All she cared about was closing the gap and sending herself into the heavenly place that she had imagined so many times over the past few weeks. She closed her eyes and urgently pushed her face forward that final few inches, ready to be sent into ecstasy.

She hit nothing but air.

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'_YOU FUCKING PATHETIC LITTLE BITCH!!!' _Seth's little angel screamed at him. His head was a few inches to the side of where it'd been a few seconds ago, while Summer's was exactly where his had been. _'WHAT THE FUCK, is your problem? SHE went to kiss YOU and what do you do? You move out the way! CLAP, CLAP, CLAP! Great move Seth, great fucking move. At least you know she's interested in you, or she was. You really think you're gonna get another chance now? You've lost it buddy. I can guarantee that right now she's feeling hurt, rejected and embarrassed. She thinks you don't like her. Well done you STUPID FUCK, your chance is officially gone.'_

Seth pulled back and gave her a shy smile. Summer smiled back at him but it was very clearly a fake one. She had a weird expression on her face that he couldn't recognise. 'Soooo……………umm……………what do you wanna do now?'

'_I hate to say it but I told you so. I said it'd all go wrong but you didn't listen and now where are you? Broken hearted and embarrassed as fuck. You'll never be able to look him in the eye again.'_

The nasty side of Summer's conscience was back. It was true though, she didn't feel sad or angry or frustrated, all she felt was pure and simple despair, heartbreak. She couldn't look him in the eye after the complete embarrassment she'd made out of herself.

'Oh……………umm………………I dunno. Whatever you want really, I don't care,' Summer replied in a barely audible whisper.

'Umm…………………okayyyy………………..ooh I got it,' Seth said enthusiastically, trying to break the uncomfortable, awkward tension that had filled the room. 'You could give me a full tour of the house, you know, every room in great detail,' he said with a smile. Summer shrugged and nodded.

'Okay let's go,' she replied in the same small voice.

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'Well thank you very much Summer, that was an incredibly detailed and informative tour,' Seth said sarcastically. Summer actually managed to crack a faint smile at his joke. She knew he was referring to the fact that she'd said the absolute bare minimum in the last thirty minutes.

Although she was still very upset, Summer had decided that even if he didn't feel the same way about her, that didn't stop him from being an amazing friend and if that was all she could ever have from him, she'd take it. 'Hey what's in that room?' he added curiously.

'Oh there's nothing in there, we don't need to go in,' she replied casually. They were on the upstairs landing and she'd shown him every room in the house bar that one.

'No no no, that's not fair Summer,' Seth said, waving a finger at her as he set off towards the door. 'You can't show me every other room and not this one, it'll feel unwanted.'

'Seth, please don't go in that room,' Summer said desperately as she followed him. He just gave her a mischievous grin and flung the door open.

'Huh, when you said nothing was in here the way you said it made me think it was like a torture chamber or something. Why didn't you want me to come in here?' He asked curiously. There really was nothing in the room other than a few tins of paint and a white cloth covering the carpet.

'This is my room,' Summer replied quietly, following him into the big empty space.

'Your room?' Seth said, totally confused. 'Your room is down the hall.' Summer shook her head.

'I always wanted to move into this room, I've just never got round to painting it,' she said sadly.

'Why don't you just hire a decorator? Let me guess, can't afford one,' he added with a smirk.

'No it's just, daddy hates them, he thinks they're all crooks so he won't let me get one. He also said it was a great opportunity for some father/daughter bonding time and he promised as soon as he had time, we'd decorate it together. That was four years ago.' She said the last part in the saddest whisper Seth had ever heard. She then looked him in the eye and Seth felt his heart strings twang at the sight. She had tears in her eyes and looked so miserable that just looking at her made Seth want to cry.

'That's it,' he said in a strong voice. 'Put some old clothes on and fetch the brushes. We're painting this room.'

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'COHEN,' Summer shrieked for about the hundredth time. He kept on flicking lilac coloured paint at her. She glared at him but it quickly morphed into a big grin, which he returned. She was dressed in an old pair of tattered dungarees with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, while she'd found a pair of her dad's old sweatpants and a sweatshirt for him to wear. Both sets of clothes were covered in paint and Summer had a big splodge on her cheek, Seth thought she looked so cute.

The painting idea had helped Summer get over, well not get over but forget about his rejection earlier. It was clear to her that he still really wanted to be her friend, even though he had every right to be freaked out by her attempted kiss. If that was all he wanted from her then she would have to accept that. Sure she still wanted to be with him but after years of hiding her true feelings towards her friends and father, she felt she could do a decent job of hiding her real feelings from him. So it was with this in mind that she had decided to go back to being her normal bubbly self, even though she felt like dying inside.

'Hey Summer, do you uhh…………………..do you want me to paint something for you on one wall. Umm, because of my obsession with comics, I'm actually a very good artist. I know I'm usually modest but painting and drawing is one thing in which I'm confident of my ability. Anyways it's up to you, it was…………….uhh……………….it was just a thought.' He trailed off towards the end, regretting saying it.

Summer's face lit up. 'Really? That'd be awesome,' she said enthusiastically. The few times she had been in his room she'd seen some of his drawings on the walls and they were indeed very good. 'Hmm let's see, what to do……………………..OOH I GOT IT,' she squealed elatedly, clapping her hands together. 'You can draw Captain Oats and Princess Sparkle.'

'What, together?' Seth said with raised eyebrows.

'Yeah,' Summer replied, nodding her head excitedly, 'don't you think they'd make like the most perfect couple ever.'

'I do yes,' Seth said nodding his head in agreement. 'I've told Oats all about her and he's like obsessed with her. I just never thought in a million years that she'd ever be interested in him,' Seth mumbled, hoping she wouldn't pick up on his secret message.

'Well Captain Oats is a moron,' Summer said softly. 'I've told Princess Sparkle all about him and he has like no idea how much she likes him too.' Their eyes locked and they both knew that the other had gotten the message. The fiery eye contact remained for a good few seconds before Seth broke it and spoke in a croaky voice.

'So umm………………if you uhh……………..if you could go and get some finer brushes that would be great.' Summer just nodded and left the room with a confused expression on her face.

'_Exactly what does he want from me? One minute he's practically pushing me away, the next he's dropping hidden hints that he wants to be with me. I wish he would just hurry up and make up his fucking mind, the assface.'_

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'OH MY GOD Cohen, this is AWESOME,' Summer squealed an hour or so later. He had already finished an incredibly realistic Princess Sparkle and was halfway through Captain Oats. Seth just gave her an embarrassed smile and mumbled thanks. 'How the hell do you do it? I can't even draw stick men well.'

'Come here, I'll show you,' Seth replied. Summer cautiously approached him. He gently grabbed her waist and pulled her back into him. He then put the brush lightly between her fingers and put his hand on top of hers. 'See the trick is………..,' he whispered, his breath dancing on her neck and sending shivers of desire right down to her very core. '...to brush very gently,' he finished as he began to softly move her hand up and down, the brush barely touching the wall but leaving very fine, detailed marks.

'_Give him another chance Summer, his rejection earlier was just a mistake on his part. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody deserves a chance to try and fix them. Do the right thing Summer, go in for the kiss again and I promise that this time you won't be disappointed.'_

'_NO! Ignore him Summer. Whatever game he's playing don't let it get to you. And whatever you do, don't give in again. If he really does like you he's too late, the bastard's had his chance.'_

Summer's conscience was back and her little angel and devil were wreaking havoc on her mind. Little did she know that hers weren't the only ones at work?

'_Calm down you moron, don't get carried away. You made a huge mistake but at least you're still friends. Do you really think that after what you did she's still gonna want you. Not a chance buddy, you're better off just doing nothing and remaining her friend.'_

'_Yes Seth, you did make a huge mistake. Here's your chance to fix it, your only chance. It's now or never Seth. Do it. DO IT!!!'_

Seth moved away from her so fast that she turned round and raised her eyebrows, giving him a quizzical look. 'I'm sorry Summer, I don't think we can be friends anymore,' he said in a strong voice, even though he felt like running away and hiding.

'WHAT! WHY?' Summer said, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

'Because I uhh……………….because I never wanted to be your friend in the first place.'

'You never wanted to be my friend?' Summer replied in a rage filled whisper, tears filling up in her eyes. 'Then why the fuck are you here you bastard?'

'I never wanted to be your friend because…………….because I've always wanted more. I really, really, REALLY like you Sum, and I know you like me too.'

'I don't know where the hell you got that idea,' she replied angrily, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, 'but I can tell you that it's complete bullshit Seth.'

'Oh really? So you just attempted to kiss me earlier for no apparent reason did you?'

'That was uhh…………………..that was a mistake. Look, I think it 'd be best if you just left Seth.' Seth's eyes began to water.

'Fine, I'll go,' he replied bitterly. 'If you're quite happy to deny your feelings then that's fine by me. LOOK,' he added despately. 'I know when I pulled away earlier I made a mistake, a huge mistake. But I want you to know that if we had gotten together, I would've treated you like the goddess you are Summer Roberts. I know we're probably not even friends anymore but I'll always be there for you, no matter what. Okay, I'll see you around I guess.' He began trudging dejectedley towards the bedroom door. Summer was rooted to the spot, her mind racing at a hundred miles a minute.

'_That's it, let the moron go. You don't need him. Let him know what it feels like to get your heart broken, he deserves it. He made too big a mistake to be allowed a second chance.'_

'_What are you doing? Stop him for Christ's sake. You know he feels the same way that you do and that he made a mistake earlier. You of all people should give him a second chance, he did it for you. If you let him walk out that door you'll regret it for the rest of your life. What are you waiting for? STOP HIM!!!'_

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'FUCK.'

Seth was at the bedroom door when he heard the expletive. He turned round to see Summer advancing towards him. She reached him and grabbed two fistfuls of her dad's dirty sweatshirt before throwing him against a freshly painted wall. She put a hand on either side of him, trapping him in. She was breathing heavily and had a crazy look in her eye that Seth didn't recognise. He was shit scared.

'Why? WHY? Why do you have to do it you bastard?' She said fiercely.

'D-do wh-what?' Seth stammered.

'Do all the right things, say all the right things, be so fucking perfect, BE YOU?' Summer replied, she'd gone absolutely crazy with passion and lust. Desire was spreading through her entire body, she was ready to burst at any second. She didn't even give him a chance to reply before she crushed her lips against his in the most intense, loving, passionate kiss she was ever likely to give.

Seth's mind was blank, all he knew was that he was kissing THE Summer Roberts. He didn't know what to do, he just kissed her back with all the passion and energy he could possibly muster. He could feel her tongue splaying out against his lips and he knew what she wanted. He opened his mouth and their tongues collided instantly.

After several minutes of intense making out, Summer pulled back and her eyes fluttered open. She could barely stand she was so dizzy with desire. Seth grinned at her. 'I can't help it if I'm perfect Sum.' Summer gave him a glare before crushing her lips against his again.

'Shut……………the hell…………….up Cohen,' she mumbled in between kisses. 'No…………..more………………talking……………….got it?'

'Yes ma'am,' he replied as she took his hands and walked backwards with her gaze still firmly fixed on him, towards the room with her bed in.

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Forty five passion filled minutes later the two teens were wrapped in eachother's arms. They were both exhausted, sweaty and the room was about a hundred degrees but they couldn't have cared less. They both had huge grins on their faces and Summer's head was rested on Seth's chest, listening to his heartbeat. It had been uncomfortable and awkward, neither of them had a clue what they were doing but despite all this, the only thing that sprung to both their minds were words such as perfect and magical, simply because it was with eachother.

'So umm…………………I'm sorry if I sucked. It was my first time and I know you're probably used to much more experienced guys, I dunno. Correct me if I'm wrong but I……………I just got the feeling that you didn't really enjoy it like I did. Was I that bad?' Seth mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

'You were fine Seth. No you were more than fine, you were perfect,' Summer replied with a massive smile, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him. 'I did enjoy it, well as much as it's possible for a girl to enjoy her first time.'

'WHAT!!!' Seth shouted, 'please repeat your last statement,' he added in a calm voice after taking a few deep breaths.

'Well I uhh……………….I umm…………..I was kinda saving myself for someone special,' she mumbled shyly, turning a violent shade of red.

'And I messed that up, I'm so sorry Summer,' Seth replied with a grin.

'Shut up you dork,' Summer giggled, braking out in a huge happy smile and beginning to twirl the curls on the back of his head. 'I'm glad it was you.'

'I'm glad it was you too Sum,' he replied with his own ecstatic grin as he leant down and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. He thought back to something his conscience had said earlier.

'_imagine how amazing it would be if everything went to plan, it would be the greatest moment of your life.' _

'God, my angel was so right,' he whispered to himself. Summer heard him and understood exactly what he meant.

'mmmmmmm,' she sighed happily as she pushed her sweat soaked body even closer against his, 'mine too Seth, mine too.

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**A/N – There you go folks, cheesy I know. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.**


	11. Pancakes and promises

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

**WARNING: This chapter should be rated M because it contains explicit sexual content but I don't want to change the rating of the story. So if you don't like sex in fanfics or are offended, don't read. It's not a hugely important chapter in terms of the plotline anyway.**

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It was 11am and Summer was dancing around her kitchen, the tune of _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun _blaring from the radio in the corner. She had her dressing gown on which was open and revealing yesterday's underwear, the first thing she'd seen on her floor when she had stumbled out of bed. She had a happy glow on her face and while she was dancing she was also keeping a close eye on the obscene amount of pancakes she was cooking. She was after all, cooking for both herself and her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend, WOW, just thinking about him sent shivers down Summer's spine. Well she prayed to God that after what they did last night he was indeed her boyfriend. She'd never had a proper boyfriend. She'd called other guys her boyfriend before but they were basically just guys who she made out with more than once, while she stopped making out with anybody else. These relationships had lasted on average about a week but Summer knew that with Seth it was different, they had real potential.

Plus there was the fact that she'd never really given a shit about any of the other guys but with Cohen she knew that her feelings may already extend much further than just liking him already. Summer was now ready to acknowledge the fact that there was a real possibility that she may be in love, not that she'd ever even think of telling Seth yet, she didn't want him running away screaming before their relationship had even officially began.

After their first little romp Seth had called home to tell them that he wouldn't be making an appearance until tomorrow afternoon. Luckily it had been Sandy who had picked up, and being a lot more liberal than Kirsten he'd agreed to let Seth stay but only after he made him promise that they'd be careful because he was only forty and not ready for a grandkid. This was met by a barely audible, mumbled promise from an extremely red faced Seth, who looked ready to die of embarrassment.

Last night had undoubtedly been the best night of Summer's life. After Seth had got off the phone they'd gone back to physically showing how strong their feelings towards eachother really were, long into the night. They had alternated between having sex, NO, making love, and cuddling together and holding each other like nothing or no one else mattered. They had not spoken much because neither had felt that what the evening meant, or their future in general, needed to be discussed at that moment in time, that talk could wait until the morning.

After the awkwardness and discomfort of the first few times, Summer had began to really, really, REALLY enjoy the sex. Sure, she had gotten off before, both manually and by going to third base with guys in the back seat of their car, but nothing compared to the pleasure she'd endured countless times last night. Summer suspected the reason that she'd had such ferocious climaxes was not physical but mental, and just the fact that it was Seth doing it to her was enough to send her body into overdrive.

It was weird because he seemed to know exactly what to do when it came to her body. He knew exactly how to kiss her, to touch her and to make love to her in the way that would give her the most sensual experience. It was like they'd been lovers for years and he knew Summer and her body inside out.

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'Seth…………..Se-eth.' Seth awoke to the sound of his name being cooed softly in his ear. 'Time to get up for school.'

'No it's not. It's Sunday Summer, now come back to bed,' he whined in reply as he pulled a pillow over his head, trying to block out the voice that had annoyingly interrupted his amazing slumber.

'I'm afraid I'm not Summer sweetie, you were just having another dirty dream. God your obsession with that girl is balancing on the very thin line between cute and unhealthy.' Seth cocked open one eye and saw someone he didn't want to see.

'Ugh, mom, what're you doing here?'

'Where else would I be at half past seven on a Friday morning?' Kirsten said in an amused tone. Although he tried to hide it, she knew how huge a crush her son had on Summer. She thought it was cute but she highly doubted Summer felt the same way. She probably either thought it was creepy and ignored him, or knew absolutely nothing about it. 'Now come on, UP, or you're gonna be late.'

Fine fine I'm getting up,' Seth grumbled in reply, sitting up and taking the fresh mug of coffee that his mother generously offered him.

'Good, now hurry up and get showered and dressed, you know how angry Ryan gets when you hold him up. It's good to know that at least we have one son who gives a crap about his education.'

'Oh please mom, you really think Ryan's so eager to get to school to learn?' Seth asked sarcastically. 'Uhhhhh, No! I have a feeling that it's more to do with something else. I'm thinking a seven letter word starting with M and ending in Arissa.'

'Yeah you're probably right,' Kirsten replied with an amused smirk. 'But I'm willing to overlook that due to the fact that I don't have to drag him out of bed in the morning. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't force you to get up you'd quite happily lay there and rot away all day.'

'Rot away? How dare you mother?' Seth replied with faux anger. 'What exactly do you take me for? I would not just lay there. I'd get up to turn on my TV, surely that's gotta count for something?'

Kirsten rolled her eyes at her idiot son. 'Just get in the shower, I haven't got time for your so called comedy in the morning. Some of us have places they want to be and could do without having to haul you about getting you ready for school. SHOWER, NOW SETH.' She added the last part a little more forcefully when she turned to leave but noticed over her shoulder that he was already holding his covers like he was ready and waiting to pull them back over himself as soon as she left.

Seth threw the covers off and advanced towards his bathroom, grumbling furiously about his stupid mother. He had woken up in the crappiest of moods, probably due to the fact that he'd had the most amazing and vivid dream. It had been so real that he wasn't sure where he'd left reality and the dream began. His mother had said that it was Friday morning, which meant that he wasn't expected over at Summer's until tomorrow afternoon and that the him hooking up with the girl he loved part was indeed just another dirty dream like she'd said.

Seth was so pissed off it was unreal. As he miserably hung his head under the warm shower water he remembered back to his dream day with Summer. It had been nerve-racking, emotionally draining, horrible and amazing all rolled into one ultimately perfect day. Shame it hadn't been real, he highly doubted that it would turn out as perfect now that he had to do it all over again.

'Fuck!' Seth said angrily while punching his shower wall, an action he immediately regretted when his hand began to throb. 'I knew it was too good to be true,' he mumbled crossly, 'and why the hell does this whole house stink of fucking pancakes? We never have pancakes.'

Seth was pretty sure he wasn't imagining it either, the smell of pancakes was wafting all around him. He wasn't complaining, he liked the smell but he didn't think it was possible for a smell coming from the kitchen to be that strong. The stench kept getting stronger by the second until it was too much, even for him. He began to gag, he couldn't breathe and started feeling light-headed and dizzy.

As Seth slid down his shower wall, still gagging for air but not able to inhale because of the strength of the stench, he thought about Summer and how he'd never get to tell her how he really felt, how he loved her more than anything and anyone in the entire world. With these thoughts echoing in his mind, Seth was engulfed in darkness.

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Summer tiptoed into the room and softly placed the tray on her bedside drawer before moving round to Seth's side to kiss him awake, giving him the nicest wakeup call he'd probably ever had. She was just about to climb on top of him when he scared the shit out of her by sitting up rapidly.

Summer looked at him and instantly grew worried, he was white as a sheet and had cold sweat pouring down his face at an alarming rate. He had bulging eyes that were darting all over the place and was hyperventilating as if he couldn't breathe, her first thought was that he was having some kind of seizure.

'SETH WHAT'S WRONG?' Summer shouted in a panicked tone. When she got no response she threw herself on her bed kneeled in front of him, taking his face in her hands. 'Seth, calm down, look at me,' she said in the strongest voice she could muster even though she felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes. His eyes were still darting all over the room, Summer suspected that he had no idea where he was and that she was even there. She had a finger resting on the pulse in his neck and could feel it pounding violently at an incredibly fast rate. 'SETH, LOOK AT ME,' she repeated in the same strong voice.

Summer let out a huge, shaky, very emotional sigh of relief when his eyes finally focused on her and his breathing began to slow, she also felt his pulse begin to die down. She took his head and buried it in her shoulder while curling her arms round his neck and beginning to stroke and kiss the curls on the top of his head. 'Summer, you're here,' she heard him weakly mumble into her shoulder.

'Yeah baby I'm here, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere,' Summer replied softly, wrapping her arms even more tightly around him. She could feel the sweat from his forehead dripping onto her shoulder but she didn't care. He had his arms wrapped tensely around her waist, desperately clinging onto her for dear life, it was as if he expected her to just vanish at any second.

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After a few minutes silence when she was sure he was in a calm, relaxed state, Summer spoke. 'So uhh, do you wanna tell me what that was all about?' she said gently. His head was still buried deep in her shoulder and she was still soothingly stroking his curls. She could tell he had begun to blush when she felt the amount of heat radiating from his face onto her shoulder hugely increase.

'Nah don't worry about it, just forget it okay,' she heard him reply in a barely audible, embarrassed whisper. She pulled his head up and studied him. He was a violent shade of red and wouldnt look her in the eye. She cupped his face in her hands.

'Oh no you don't Seth Cohen, you can't expect me to just forget about something like that,' Summer said fiercely. 'You really scared me for a minute there,' she added in a quiet whisper, looking away to stop him from seeing the moisture accumulating in her eyes.

'I'm sorry Summer,' Seth replied softly, seeing that she was a bit emotional. 'It……..………it was just a bad dream that's all, absolutely nothing to worry about,' he added with a smile while moving a hand up and gently caressing the back of her neck. Summer just nodded silently while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

'What was it about, the dream?' she asked in a quiet voice, still sniffling a little.

'Does it really matter?' Seth said in a desperate voice. He really didn't want to tell her because it was just a bit embarrassing.

'It matters to me Seth,' she said in a strong, demanding voice. 'Now spill.'

'Okay,' Seth said with a defeated sigh. 'I uhh……………I dreamt that my mom woke me up for school on Friday morning and that yesterday was actually a dream. It was really vivid, to the point where I could actually smell her perfume. I was umm……………..I was really pissed off because umm, you know, yesterday was uhh……………..it was sort of umm, the uhh………………..it was sort of the best day of my life,' he mumbled, turning a deep shade of crimson red and looking away, trying to hide his obvious embarrassment.

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Summer couldn't help the ecstatic grin that spread across her face. She took his chin in her hands and made him look at her. Their eyes connected and she leant forward and caught his lips in the most passion filled kiss she could possibly give. She focused all her energy on physically showing him that she felt exactly the same way. When she couldn't hold out for air any longer, Summer pulled away and rested her forehead on his. They were both panting heavily and breathing their not so fresh morning breath on each other but neither could've possibly cared less.

'Last night………………..was real………………….and amazing……………….and perfect………………in every……………….single…………….way,' Summer said, giving him a quick fiery kiss in-between every other word. She then pushed him down so he was on his back and laid on top of him. 'And for the record, it was the best day of my life too,' she said, placing another soft lingering kiss on his lips before intertwining her fingers with his and resting her head on his chest.

After a few moments silence, Summer broke it. 'Wait a sec, I know a dream without me in it's a nightmare because I'm just that awesome, but I fail to see how it warrants waking up and having a panic attack,' she said in a confused tone, lifting her head to stare quizzically at him.

'Yeah uhh, the dream turned into one of them stupid ones where you're about to die and you wake up a split second before you do,' Seth replied casually. He wanted to avoid telling her at all costs that his involved choking to death on pancake fumes because it was like the most pathetic way to possibly die.

'Oooh I know what you mean, they're scary,' Summer replied softly reaching up and stroking his hair, 'but it's okay because you've got me now, and pancakes. Pancakes have the ability to make everything alright.'

'Yeah they sure d- WAIT! You've got pancakes?' Seth asked when he finally processed what she'd said.

'Yup, I got up early and made them. I was about to wake you up and feed them to you before you had your little episode, they're probably stone cold by now.' Seth just smirked at her words, she had no idea of the significance of them. He felt a little relieved that his nightmare made sense now. The smell of pancakes in reality had somehow factored itself into his sub conscience, resulting in his not so pleasant dream.

'Have I ever told you how perfect you are?' he said, smiling down at the beautiful girl cradled in his arms.

'No need baby, I already know,' Summer replied with her own sweet smile in his direction.

'Yeah whatever, just pass me my pancakes. You may be my favourite thing in the whole world 99.99 percent of the time Summer but when food makes an appearance, you're shoved into second place.'

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'mmmmmmmmmm.'

Summer moaned softly into Seth's mouth as their tongues urgently and passionately tangled. They'd finished their pancakes and were apparently going back to where they had left off when they had finally fallen asleep last night, something that neither of them had a problem with. She was on top of him and had slipped out of her dressing gown, leaving her in just her underwear. Seth was naked and she could feel his huge erection pressing against her leg, doing nothing but increasing her desire. She'd been surprised by his impressive size, a good seven or eight inches, but she definitely wasn't complaining.

Seth rolled her over and began tracing soft kisses down her neck and collarbone, she just dug her hands into his hair and lightly squeezed, urging him to continue. While he propped himself up with one forearm to avoid crushing her, the other hand was gently roaming across her waist and thighs causing her skin to heat rapidly. Although she was usually the bossy and controlling one, Summer loved little moments like this when Seth would take charge.

Seth pulled back and hovered above her, a smile on his face as he examined her gorgeous features. _'God, she is so perfect,'_ he thought to himself as he moved a hand to hers and gently caressed her knuckles with his thumb. 'So, do you wanna pick up where we left off last night?' he asked in a seductive voice.

'Of course,' Summer replied huskily as she arched her back up to graze her nose against his, sending sparks in every direction and shivers down both their bodies. 'But I think it'd be best if we talked about what we want from each other first,' she added with a sigh. Truthfully Summer wanted nothing more than to feel him gently enter her again and then slowly pick up the pace until he was powerfully pounding into her and she was weak with pleasure, gasping and moaning loudly with sweat dripping from every part of her body. But she just couldn't risk it until she was entirely sure that that wasn't all that he wanted from her.

Although it was incredible, the sex was pretty much the last thing she needed from him. What Summer craved more than anything was to be completely assured that Seth wanted her for who she was, not just because she was one hot piece of ass. She was pretty sure that this was in fact true but she refused to fully sacrifice her heart to him until she actually heard him say it.

'Okay yeah we should talk,' Seth said with a apprehensive sigh as he moved off Summer and laid on his side. He knew this discussion had been looming, he just hadn't expected it to arrive so soon. He was scared shitless by the thought that Summer may not want a real relationship with him. That maybe she'd consider last night a mistake or even worse, that she'd just been feeling really horny and used him for sex.

He was terrified that she'd want to go back to being friends or maybe even just make a clean break and stay away from each other. 'Look the last twenty four hours have been totally awesome, at least for me they have, but if this as far as you want us to go, I …………..I'll understand I guess,' Seth said quietly with his eyes closed, praying it was exactly what she didn't want.

'Is that what you want?' he heard Summer reply in a hurt whisper, making his head snap up.

'No Summer, God no. I want** YOU**, always have, always will.'

'You want me? That's it, you want me?' Summer said coldly, 'Well if I remember correctly Cohen, you already had me several times last night and you were just about to have me again before I stopped you so that we could have this little talk. Is that all you ever wanted off me when you were sending me all those signals and subtle hints, Sex?' she said, getting angrier by the second.

'Okay Summer just stop, let me explain,' Seth said in a strong voice. 'Maybe I didn't word that too well. What I meant was that all I want is to **BE** with you, sex would just be a mind-blowing bonus. What I really want is to hold you, to protect you, to tell you my deepest darkest secrets and to give you everything I possibly can., my heart, my soul, my EVERYTHING. By this point Summer had tears flowing down her face.

'Don't say it if you don't mean it,' she managed to whisper out between trying to contain her tears, 'I will not let you play me.'

'I mean it I swear, every damn word,' Seth said fiercely, taking Summer's face in his hands and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. 'And I swear to God that if you want to have a relationship like I do, I will be the best boyfriend that I possibly can and I'll treat you the way you deserve to be treated, like a queen.' He let out a huge breath after he said it, like it was a relief to get it of his chest, though he quickly grew anxious when she didn't reply. 'Summer it's your turn. Please say something, anything.'

'I…………….I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry,' she muttered in reply.

'Sorry? Sorry for what?'

'Sorry for ever doubting you. Sorry for taking so long to realise how I really feel about you. Sorry for all the times I hurt you. Sorry for………………..I-I'm just sorry,' she said in a soft whisper, silent tears beginning to fall again.

'Hey,' Seth replied soothingly in her ear as he stroked her hair, 'I'm the one who should be apologising, I moved away from your attempted kiss on the couch yesterday and it made you think I didn't like you. I need you to know that I just got scared, pathetic I know. I got terrified that you'd kiss me and discover that you didn't want me and it'd be too awkward to just go back to being friends. I pulled away because more than anything, I just need you in my life, whether that be as a friend or more and I wasn't sure I wanted to risk what we already had for something more. I can't live without you Summer, you're like air to me.'

Summer rolled over and straddled Seth, fixing him with a huge grin while rubbing her fingers softly up and down his chest. 'Let's just stop apologising to each other and forget all the crappy stuff that's gone on in the last few months,' she said happily. 'Let's just be together okay.'

'Really, you're not joking, you really want this, us, together?' Seth asked with a bright twinkle in his eye and a huge smile on his face. Summer grinned down at him and nodded.

'But I need you to promise me something.'

'Anything!'

'I need you to promise me that……………that even if we don't work, you know, as a couple, you………………you won't just disappear from my life. I need you too Seth, more than anything or anyone,' Summer said shyly.

'I promise Summer, that I will always be a part of your life as long as you want me to,' Seth replied fiercely as he sat up and fixed her with an intense stare. 'But I really don't need to make that promise because I promise you that we will work. I don't know what it is but we've got something. A connection, a deep, deep connection, I know you feel it too.' Summer just nodded while maintaining eye contact, she could feel herself getting lost in his deep brown eyes. 'Our bond is so strong that I promise that no matter what happens in the future we'll get through it, together.'

Summer didn't let him say anymore, she just pushed him down on his back and crushed her lips against his. She explored his mouth with her tongue as he did the same to her. When she heard him trying to mumble something out against her lips she pulled back and put a finger over his. 'Don't say anything else, don't ruin it. All you need to know is that I feel the same way and that we're together,' Summer said happily, a massive smile on her face.

'And you're sure this is what you want? You're not going to change your mind in a few days because I don't think I could take it,' Seth said cautiously.

Summer smashed her lips against his again before pulling back and fiercely saying, 'I've NEVER been so sure of anything in my life. I want to be with you Cohen, NO, I NEED to be with you.'

'Okay then,' Seth said with a huge grin on his face. 'There's no going back now. It's me and you now gorgeous, Seth and Summer against the world.'

'Nuh uh, I'm not ready to face the rest of the world yet, I think we need a little more alone time first Cohen,' Summer replied huskily, a horny glint in her eye and a seductive smile on her face.

'Oooh I like the sound of that,' Seth replied with his own huge grin before rolling her over and pressing his lips against hers.

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Seth pulled back and looked down on her, she was stunning with her messy hair, flustered face and heavy breathing. She looked like an angel to him, a very horny and sweaty angel. He leaned back down and began tracing kisses down her neck towards her chest, splaying his tongue out and giving the odd suck and soft nibble. He heard her give a tiny moan in appreciation as she arched her back to give him access to her bra clip.

Seth unclipped it, pulled it off and instantly took a hard nipple in his mouth while rolling the other one between his thumb and finger. He traced circles round it with his tongue, occasionally giving it a soft bite. Summer just softly moaned and lightly dug her nails into his skull to show her approval.

After he felt that each breast had got adequate attention, Seth trailed his tongue down her stomach, causing her to squirm and give a cute giggle, apparently she was a little ticklish. He reached her belly button and ran his tongue around it before playfully tugging the ring in it with his teeth. He continued lower, lightly grazing his lips across the thin fabric of her panties, which were soaking wet. As he slowly moved south, he teasingly took her underwear with him until his head arrived at her feet. She picked her panties up with her toes and flung them across the room, making them hit the wall on the other side.

Seth kissed and licked up her ankle and leg at a snail's pace, causing her to whimper in desperate anxiety. He reached her midriff and began to lightly blow on the cute little tuft of neatly trimmed hair. He loved that she wasn't fully shaved, it was perfectly shaped and lengthed and just looking at it drove him insane with lust. He stared up at her with raised eyebrows as if asking her permission. She nodded and bit her lip in anticipation. Seth grinned at her before plunging his face deep into her core.

'Oh my God,' Summer moaned softly as she felt his tongue exploring her soaking core. She felt him lapping up and down her slit, taking in all her juices and occasionally softly sucking on her swollen bud. His hands were reaching up and gently caressing her breasts while hers were buried deep in his sweat soaked curls.

Every little movement was sending waves of ecstasy coarsing through Summer's body. She could feel sweat beads forming on her chest and forehead and she could no longer control her breathing. One of Seth's hands danced down her waist and entered her with two fingers, causing her pleasure to greatly increase. He kept a tight suction on her clit with his mouth, rolling his tongue over it while greedily thrusting his fingers in and out of her wetness, driving her insane.

By this point Summer was moaning his name and panting loudly, her whole body a crimson red colour. She knew she was close but she wasn't ready to let go, she wanted to do that with Seth's hardness pumping inside her. With all her remaining strength she tugged on his hair and pulled his face up to hers, if he hadn't been so horny it would've hurt like hell but it only succeeded in increasing his arousal.

'Oh my fucking God you are amazing,' Summer panted, shockwaves of satisfaction still flowing through her body, before smashing her mouth into his, forcefully massaging his tongue with hers. 'Want me……………….to return………………the favour?' she managed to mumble out between kisses.

'No that's okay I'm ready, I need you now or I think I'm gonna explode.' Summer grinned at him before wrapping her arms around his neck and biting on his earlobe.

'I'm ready too Cohen,' she whispered huskily in his ear before resting her head on her pillow and closing her eyes. Seth took his rock hard manhood and rubbed it up and down her slit, causing her to squirm and lightly moan, something that gave him a satisfied smirk. He loved to tease her. She snapped open her eyes and fixed him with pleading puppy dog eyes. 'Please Cohen, now,' she said in a desperate whimper.

Seth knew he couldn't say no to her pleading chocolate brown eyes, not that he wanted to anyway; he wanted it just as much as she did. With the smile on his face long gone and replaced by a lust filled gaze, he positioned himself and gently pushed into her. It was easy because she was so wet and it amazed him that he could get her like that. Seth nearly lost control as soon she enveloped him tightly, the heat radiating from both of them was immense.

Summer sharply inhaled as he entered her, followed shortly by a deep, shaky release of breath. She fluttered her eyes open and sighed happily. Her hands were still wrapped around Seth's neck and she pulled him down to give him a fiery kiss as he began to slowly move in and out of her. She could feel sweat seeping into the mattress under her off her back, her brain was becoming cloudy and she could no longer control the whimpers of pleasure and purrs of ecstasy coming from her closed mouth.

She pushed her hands down his back, dug in as hard as she could with her nails and dragged them up. She knew it was probably painful and would leave marks but she was in such a heavenly place that she couldn't have cared less. It seemed that Seth didn't care either and that it may have even turned him on more because it only made him pump harder.

When she couldn't hold it in anymore, Summer opened her mouth and began to let out loud moans that she was sure could be heard by the whole neighbourhood. 'FASTER, FASTER,' She panted loudly between moans. Seth obeyed her command and began to forcefully pound into her with all his strength. He was repeatedly hitting the right spot, causing Summer to bury her face in the top of his head to muffle her screams of delight.

She was still digging her nails into his back as hard as she could and Seth was sure it was bleeding but he didn't care because in that moment it felt like the best feeling in the world. His own mind was clouded and he was also numb with ecstasy. He wouldn't have known or cared if there were twenty million pairs of eyes on them because all he could focus on was the sounds of bliss coming from his girlfriend's mouth, his own satisfied grunts and the noise made between their bodies violently slapping together as she began to grind her hips up to meet his downward thrusts.

Summer was oh so close when she felt Seth begin to slow, exactly what she didn't want. She weakly pulled his face up to study him and couldn't help but grin. He was panting heavily and had seemingly ran out of steam, probably due to the fact that he was lazy and never did any exercise. Summer used what little strength she had left to roll them over so she was on top and she could give him a little break.

Seth's eyes grew wide as she began to bounce up and down on him, now reaching forward and digging her nails into his chest. He had his hands on her hips steadying her but she was doing all the work while he just admired the view. She had her eyes closed, sweat pouring down her face and chest and was moaning his name loudly and gasping for air. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He hadn't really been that close when he was doing the work but now Seth could feel climax approaching rapidly. He could feel his dick throbbing inside her and that familiar sensation of total relaxation beginning to spread though his entire body but he knew she was close too and was determined to wait for her to come with him.

He watched in awe as she arched backwards and put her hands on the bed behind her, thrusting her head and sweat soaked breasts as high as she possibly could. Then with one final grinding motion and echoing scream of his name, he felt her contract around him and violently writhe in total, agonisingly perfect release. With one last thrust and grunt, Seth let himself explode into her and shudder in complete ecstasy. Summer threw herself forward and pressed her sweaty forehead against his, they were both crimson red and moaning out in complete and utter heaven.

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For ten minutes the two teens just held each other as close as possible both with satisfied, relaxed grins on their faces. Neither had ever experienced something so perfect and probably never would again. They both thought the sex last night had been amazing but it was nothing compared to this, their first time as an official couple.

When Seth finally pulled out of Summer, he turned them both on their side and stared deeply at her while stroking her beautiful hair. 'WOW,' was all he said in a low murmur.

'Yeah, WOW,' was all she gave in a croaky response.

'That was almost as amazing as your pancakes.'

'COHEN, way to ruin the moment you ass'

'It's what I do best my darling, it's what I do best.'

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	12. Waking up

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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'Hey bro,' Seth said as he entered the poolhouse to find Ryan playing on the ninja game, 'had a good weekend because I most definitely have,' he added with a big grin as he picked up the other controller and sat down next to his foster brother. Ryan just turned and looked at him blankly.

'You…………………..…STINK,' he finally said.

'Indeed I do dear Ryan, indeed I do. But do you know what I smell of?' Seth replied with a huge grin.

'My first guess would be body odour,' Ryan said with an amused smirk.

'It is body odour as you correctly say bro., but you'll never guess how I attained said B.O.'

'We'll it can't be from exercise so I'm at a loss. Please enlighten me as to why you smell so bad because I'm just dying to know,' Ryan replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes, looking very uncharacteristic.

'My pungent aroma was obtained during the marathon sex sessions I partook in last night and this morning.' Seth gave a satisfied smirk when he saw Ryan's eyes bulge out his head.

'Summer?' he asked with raised eyebrows to which Seth just smiled and nodded. 'Whoa. Congratulations man, was it awesome?'

'Indescribable man, just so totally amazing it's indescribable. Best two days of my life. If you were to kill me right now, I would die a very happy person.'

'And you didn't disappoint her? I only ask because I imagine she's used to much more experienced guys,' Ryan said cautiously, not wanting to offend Seth.

'I'd thought that too. But apparently……………….Okay you have to promise not to tell anybody this, not even Marissa because she obviously doesn't want anybody to know.' Ryan just nodded excitedly, urging Seth to continue. 'Summer was uhh…………..she was actually a virgin.' Seth's grin grew wider when he saw Ryan's eyes practically pop out of their sockets in stunned disbelief. 'She said she was saving herself for someone she had real feelings for, and she picked me man, SHE PICKED ME! I took Summer Roberts's virginity, how awesome is that,' he said ecstatically.

'Wow, she must really like you man. So you two a couple now?'

'Yeah. We had a long talk this morning and just blew everything out in the open. Apparently she's liked me ever since I saved her but I already knew that anyways. And you said she was just drunk when I told you about what she'd said,' Seth said, grinning goofily. 'I think someone owes me an apology,' he added in an annoying singsong voice. Ryan smirked at his idiot foster brother.

'Fine, I'm sorry I ever doubted that she liked you. I was wrong, you were right, happy now.' Seth just nodded enthusiastically in reply. 'But seriously man I'm happy for you, I know you've liked her forever. I gotta admit that when I first came here and heard you'd named your boat after her without ever even talking to her, I thought it was really creepy. And then when I actually found out who Summer was, I thought you never had a chance in hell,' he said sheepishly.

'Me too man, me too. I thought I was chasing a lost cause up until about a month ago. I'm like the poster child for the motto "DREAMS CAN COME TRUE", and it's all thanks to you man.'

'Me, how?'

'If you hadn't shown up in my life and dragged me there, I would never have gone to that stupid party and saved her, thus never alerting her to the awesomeness of Seth Cohen, so thanks buddy. Man I can't wait to see the looks on the faces of those water polo playin, jockstrap lickin, chest shavin retards when I walk up to Summer tomorrow morning and pull her in for a big good morning kiss complete with hot tongue action. It'll be one of the greatest moments of my life, like payback with interest for five whole years of torture.'

'Don't you think that the fact that Summer chose you ahead of them is only gonna make them more pissed and beat you even harder,' Ryan said quizzically with raised eyebrows.

'Maybe so. But you're forgetting that I now have you to protect me and I know that Summer happens to suffer from pretty nasty rage blackouts so she'll kick their asses as well. She's as tough as she is smokin' hot.'

'Gotta say it man, just a tad jealous. Don't get me wrong, I mean Marissa's hot but Summer is just somethin else.'

'Well I'll warn you bro, I feel confident enough to let you make a move on her. You can try as hard as you like but I don't think you'll get anywhere, I think she's just a little too far out of your league. She only goes for the real men,' Seth said with a smug grin plastered all over his face. Ryan glared at Seth.

'Then what the hell is she doing with you?'

'Believe me Ry, I've been asking myself the very same question ever since it happened. I'm mean who would've thought it? The ice queen of the school succumbing to the charms of the lowly geek. It's real poetic man, like straight out of a fairytale or somethin. Anyways, I'm gonna go shower before mom gets close enough to smell me. She's like freakin Superwoman or somethin with her super senses and I'm telling you bro, she'd probably know it was the smell of sex and ground me for life.'

'Didn't Sandy give you permission to stay over?'

'Yeah but I highly doubt he told mom. She's just a little bit more conservative and she'd flip the fuck out on me for doing it and him for letting me. She can never find out, she'd probably hate Summer for taking her little angel's innocence. I swear she still likes to think of me as this sweet little eight year old or somethin. Does she not realise that all a seventeen year old boy ever thinks about is sex?'

'Yeah she can't find out because she'd probably blame me. I suspect she knows that I slept around in Chino and she'd most likely hold me responsible for my bad habits rubbing off on you, for being a bad influence. Don't worry man, my lips are sealed,' Ryan said with a smirk.

'Great. Anyway I'm going, lock it up homeboy.' Ryan stated at him blankly.

'Just get the hell out,' he finally replied in an amused tone.

'Not before you lock it up,' Seth said in the same wannabe gangster voice with an annoying smirk on his face. Ryan just rolled his eyes before pressing his closed fist against Seth's. Seth gave a triumphant grin as if he'd just won a personal victory over Ryan before standing up and saying, 'keep it real homeboy,' then turning to saunter out the poolhouse, leaving Ryan looking very much like a girl with all his tutting, eye rolling and head shaking. It seemed that he'd been spending far too much time with Marissa because her bad habits were definitely rubbing off on him.

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'OH MY GOD COOP, I have like the biggest news EVER,' Summer squealed down the line to her best friend. It was 10pm and Seth had left about three hours ago. Since then, Summer had showered because she'd positively reeked of sex, made herself a massive sandwich because she was starving after all the sex and changed her bed sheets because they were now covered in rather unpleasant looking stains. During the afternoon, she and Seth had finished painting her new bedroom. Seth had finished his mural of Captain Oats and Princess Sparkle while she had finished painting the other walls, though they had taken half an hour off to have sex up against the only dry one. Now she was sat on her bed painting her toenails with the phone glued between her shoulder and ear, ready to spill the events of her amazing weekend to her best friend.

'Go on then,' Marissa replied unenthusiastically.

'God Coop, don't get too excited,' Summer replied sarcastically. Marissa just rolled her eyes, an action that she'd ever do to her friends face in fear of being on the receiving end of one of those legendary rage blackouts. 'I hooked up with Cohen,' Summer squealed happily.

'WHAT!' Marissa shrieked, eyes bulging at the new information.

'Oh so now you're interested,' Summer replied in an amused tone.

'How Sum? How the hell did it happen and more importantly, was it good?' Marissa asked excitedly. Summer giggled at her friend's forwardness.

'Okay. So I'd invited him over to hang out, you know, watch movies and stuff and he asked for a full tour of the house,' Summer replied. She'd decided that since it was just a misunderstanding, she was gonna leave out the part about Seth rejecting her. 'So I gave him the tour and he saw that room I've always wanted to move into, you know the one I mean, and he said that we should paint it. So we were painting and he just began to say all these really sweet things, he admitted that he really liked me and that he wanted to be more than my friend,' she said with a massive grin on her face, 'and the next thing I knew we were back in my normal room, having sex,' she added with a happy sigh.

'And what happens now?' Marissa enquired. 'I mean are you just gonna go back to being friends or what because you don't like him as well do you?'

'No we're gonna be together. I thought you knew that I really like him too, I have done for like two months now,' Summer said in a confused tone.

'Well you didn't say anything,' Marissa replied in a huffy tone. 'God Summer, we used to tell eachother everything and now you hardly ever talk to me anymore,' she added in a whiney voice. It was true, they had stopped communicating in recent months, to such an extent that they barely knew each other anymore.

Summer couldn't help but feel that it was all Marissa's fault because they'd begun to drift apart around the time that she and Ryan had got together. She knew that her infatuation with Seth probably hadn't helped matters but Summer rarely took the blame for anything, even when she knew it was fully her fault let alone partly.

'Well maybe I'd be able to talk to you more if you weren't permanently attached to Ryan,' Summer said bitterly.

'You're right Sum, I have been a little too focused on Ryan lately but I swear I'll make it up to you, can we please just not fight,' Marissa said pleadingly.

'Okay Coop, sorry for snapping,' Summer replied softly.

After a few seconds of awkward silence Marissa said, 'Soooo……………how was he?' in a curious and amused tone.

'Well let me start by saying how surprisingly well equipped he is,' Summer replied with a dreamy grin on her face.

'Really, how well?' Marissa said with a giggle.

'Oh I don't know, rough estimate, between seven and eight inches,' Summer said casually. She smirked when she heard her friend let out a low whistle in admiration.

'Nice, I'd put Ryan at about the same size and I know how fucking good that feels.' Summer giggled at Marissa's bluntness.

'Yeah but just looking at Ryan with his rippling muscles you'd expect him to be really well hung but with Cohen it's another story. I mean the guy's all skin and bone so naturally I was a little surprised that he's a stallion, not that I'm complaining,' she said with a giggle. 'And that's not even the best part. He may have been a virgin but God did he know how to use it, I'm pretty sure that the whole street could hear me screaming and I ache all over.'

'Wow, Ryan's good but he doesn't make me scream, maybe I got the wrong brother,' Marissa said teasingly with a small laugh.

'You stay away from him Coop or I'll kick your ass, he's mine,' Summer countered in a fake fierce voice.

'Okay, just because you're my best friend I'll stay away from him,' Marissa replied jokingly. 'Anyway, what are you gonna do about school?'

'What about school?' Summer asked in a confused tone.

'What about the fact that you're the queen of Harbor while he's the biggest loser there. You really think people aren't gonna talk. Imagine it. You arrive at school tomorrow morning, the whole school in the parking lot as normal, only for Seth to walk over and pull you into an intense kiss, French of course. Sure it'd be hot but it would also be the biggest news the school has seen since Sammy Jones's mom got caught in bed with her maid. You only just got away with admitting that he was your friend, this could ruin you.'

A huge frown appeared on Summer's face at her friends words. She knew Marissa was totally, one hundred percent correct in saying that it'd be the biggest scandal to hit Harbor in a long time. She also wasn't sure if she could deal with all the scrutiny, negative comments and laughter that'd be directed at her.

'Oh my God Coop you're so right. I've had such a good weekend that I haven't had time to worry about school. What am I gonna do? Coop you've got to help me,' Summer said in a panicked tone.

'Alright Sum, calm down. Just go to Seth and tell him that you want to keep your relationship on the down low. I'm sure that if he wants to be with you as much as I think he does, he won't have a problem with it,' Marissa replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Yeah but that's only a temporary solution. He's not gonna expect it to be forever and he'll get tired of having to act like we're no more than friends in public.'

'Well I can't help you anymore. You're just gonna have to figure out what you want more, your relationship with Seth or your reputation. But I know if I was in your shoes and had to choose between Ryan and popularity, it'd be an absolute no-brainer. Anyways I gotta go, I'm seventeen but my mom still likes me to be in bed by eleven when I got school tomorrow, stupid bitch.'

'Okay Coop, I'll see you in the morning.' Summer hung up the phone with a huge frown on her face. She knew that Seth meant more to her than being popular but they'd only just got together and she wasn't yet ready to sacrifice her reputation for the sake of making their relationship public. She went to bed knowing what she had to do and praying that Seth would be okay with it.

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'SETH COHEN, UP NOW,' Kirsten said sternly as she came into her son's room and threw the covers off him for the third time. She had no idea as to what the hell he'd been doing that had resulted in her finding it even more difficult to raise him than the average Monday morning.

'Hey guys, do you know what's up with Seth? It normally takes a while to get him up on Monday's but today he's just impossible to wake, do you think he's sick?' Kirsten said as she walked in the kitchen to find Ryan and Sandy stood up against the counter, both holding their traditional morning cup of coffee and bagel.

'Nah he's not sick Kirsten,' Ryan replied. 'I happen to know that he had a pretty intense workout yesterday and he's just feeling the after effects now,' he said with a smirk. Sandy was also smirking.

'Oh, it's good to see that he's finally taking an interest in getting fit,' Kirsten said brightly. 'He's so lazy I honestly thought he was gonna end up obese,' she added before turning and heading back upstairs for a fourth attempt at rousing him.

'I'm sure she wouldn't be so happy if she knew what type of exercise he was doing,' Sandy chuckled to Ryan when she was out of earshot, but his look quickly grew more serious. 'He tells you stuff kid, do you know if he, you know, used protection.'

'Yeah you've got nothing to worry about.'

'Thank God, I don't mind him having sex as long as he's responsible about it, same goes for you kiddo.' Ryan just nodded in reply. They both stood and drank their coffee in relaxed silence for a few minutes before a zombie-like Seth trudged into the kitchen.

'Well look who decided to drag themselves out of bed, if it isn't Casanova,' Sandy said emphatically with a big grin on his face. Seth, who was in just a t-shirt and boxers and had messy hair sticking out in all directions, just grunted in reply while stumbling towards the coffee machine. He walked past Sandy who gave him a clap on the back, something that definitely succeeded in waking him up.

'OW,' Seth yelped loudly. 'Dad, please never do that again you moron,' he said angrily.

'Why, what's wrong with your back?' Sandy replied in a curious tone.

'I don't know,' Seth answered nonchalantly. 'I just woke up this morning and it's absolutely killing me.'

'Let me take a look,' Sandy said concernedly. Seth turned his back to his dad and brother. Sandy lifted up his son's shirt and him and Ryan let out a gasp at the same time. There were ten huge, deep scratch marks trailing all the way up Seth's back, right from the base to the shoulder blades. They were red raw and in the first stages of scabbing over. They did indeed look incredibly painful, but Sandy and Ryan both knew from past experiences that the nastier the back scratches, the hotter the sex was.

'What?' Seth said curiously. 'What is it?'

Sandy let out a low whistle. 'Whoa boy, Summer got you real good.' Seth spun round to face them, eyes wide and red faced.

'Dad can we please not talk about this,' Seth said pleadingly. 'This is a subject more suited to Seth-Ryan time. Seth-Ryan-Sandy time is for talk about sports and the weather. So, did the Dodgers win last night?'

'Nice try son but baseball season is three months away,' Sandy replied with a smirk. 'I know it's embarrassing but I need to hear it from you, did you use protection?'

'DAD,' Seth groaned. Ryan was stood watching the exchange while sipping from his mug, struggling not to laugh. 'Please don't do this. Ugh fine,' he said sulkily when he saw the stern look on his dad's face, 'yes we used protection, happy now?' Sandy just let out a deep breath and nodded with a relieved grin on his face. The three stood in silence sipping their coffee but Seth noticed the other two smirking at him over the rims of their mugs.

'What?' Seth said, looking at them like they were weird. 'What? You're starting to freak me out.'

'I'm proud of you son,' Sandy said with a big grin plastered all over his face. 'You left the house Saturday afternoon a boy, but came back a man.' Seth rolled his eyes.

'Calm down dad. So I had sex. Wow, no biggie.'

'It was not just sex son, it was sex with Summer. She's real hot stuff son, way to go.' Seth's jaw dropped in horror at his dad's words while Ryan could no longer control himself and burst into the low chuckles he so rarely let loose. They doorbell rang sharply and Seth jumped up.

'I'll get it,' he said quickly, thanking God that he'd sent an angel to get him away from his dad and the horrible conversation. Why did parents, especially dads, have to be so God damn embarrassing? While he slouched towards the door, Seth made a promise to himself that he'd never purposely try to embarrass his kids just for fun like Sandy did. It just seemed wrong. So wrong that Seth thought it should be illegal, a crime punishable by death. When he reached the door, Seth grabbed the handle and flung it open uninterestedly, expecting it to be the mailman or a special delivery.

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'Ew Cohen! Do you always answer the door in your underwear? What are you trying to do, scare people away?'

'Summer, what're you doing here?' Seth said with a surprised but delighted smile. He grin grew even bigger when she moved forward and captured his lips in a passionate embrace. Summer pulled back and smiled sweetly at him.

'Ew. In future, remind me to never kiss you before you brush your teeth because your morning breath is nasty,' she said with a giggle.

'Well I'm sorry Summer that not all of us can be as fresh and clean as you are at 7:30 on a Monday morning,' he replied sarcastically. 'Anyway, what're you doing here?'

'What? Can't a girl come visit her amazing boyfriend every once in a while,' Summer said innocently.

'Yeah, not buying it, what do you want,' Seth said suspiciously with raised eyebrows. Summer just rolled her eyes before taking his hand and dragging him towards the stairs.

'Come on Cohen, your room now.'

They climbed the stairs to his room in silence and Summer led him into his room. Seth closed the door behind him before saying, 'so Summer, what's going o-…..' He was interrupted by her spinning round to face him, forcefully shoving him into his door and smashing her lips into his. Summer moaned into his mouth as her tongue found his. Seth moved his hands up and began to roam her waist and back under her shirt. He felt one of her hands slide down his waist into his boxers and grasp his already hardening penis.

Seth knew that with his parents, especially Kirsten, being in the house, it was far too risky to go any further so he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away. 'Umm okayyy…………….uhh, what's going on with you this morning,' he asked slowly while looking at her weirdly. He could tell that something was bothering her and wasn't buying her horny and playful act for a second. He sensed that she was just doing it to delay something or to get him in a really good mood and he didn't like it. Well he did like it, he just didn't like the fact that she was hiding something from him.

'Nothing's going on,' Summer mumbled in reply as she traced kisses down his jawbone and onto his neck. 'I just wanted to kiss you, to be with you.'

'Come on Summer,' Seth said pleadingly as he pushed her away again and looked at her. 'I know something's up, will you please just tell me?'

'Okay I umm…………….I have something to say,' she whispered, no longer able to look him in the eye, 'and I'm not sure that you're gonna like it.'

'What is it? Oh God, you………………..you're breaking up with me aren't you,' Seth said in a panicky tone. He slid down his door and buried his face in his hands before beginning to breathe deeply as if trying to control his emotions. 'I don't fucking believe this,' he mumbled, 'technically we didn't even last a day. I knew this would happen, I just knew it. I knew you'd start to feel trapped or bored or regret ever even getting together in the first place.'

'Seth,' Summer said sharply as she crouched down to his level and began to gently stroke her fingers through his curls, 'I am not, repeat NOT, breaking up with you. For God's sake why do you have to be so damn pessimistic?' she said in an annoyed voice out of sheer frustration at his stupidity. 'This is the first real relationship I've been in and every minute of it so far has been totally awesome. I promise you that I want to be with you sooo much and I honestly can't see that changing anytime soon,' she added softly, smiling down at him.

'I'm sorry Summer,' he mumbled quietly. 'I……………….I don't know why I do that, always think the worst. I guess I'm just terrified that you're gonna leave me because I don't know how the hell I got you in the first place. I sure as hell don't deserve an amazing girlfriend like you.'

Summer's heart melted at his words but was quickly replaced by an intense stabbing feeling of guilt. Even though she'd treated him like shit for the majority of his life, he still thought she was amazing and that he wasn't good enough for her. Summer felt it was the exact opposite and it was she who didn't deserve him. He was so perfect and sweet and caring and she couldn't bear the thought of hurting him but she had no choice.

'Yeah well we'll see how amazing you think I am in a minute,' she mumbled quietly to herself but Seth heard her.

'Summer please just tell me,' he said pleadingly as he got up and pulled her towards his bed. 'Whatever it is I can handle it as long as I've got you.'

'Okay,' she said nervously as she sat facing him and began to wring her hands together. 'I umm…………………I uhh……………………I don't want our relationship to be public,' she finally blurted out before closing her eyes. 'I……………I'm not ready to let people know yet,' she added, a little more calm and composedly this time. She opened her eyes and stared at him intently, waiting for him to give some kind of reaction.

Seth just stared blankly at her for a few seconds before saying, 'oh, uhh………………….that's it? Umm………………..uhh……………………yeah, sure we can keep it a secret.' He said it in a croaky voice while turning away from her. It was one of the few times that Summer couldn't tell what he was feeling just by looking at his face. It was like he was trying to shut her out.

'And you're okay with this,' she said slowly, eyeing him cautiously. Seth nodded but he refused to look at her.

'I guess that if this is what it takes to be with you then of course I'll do it,' he mumbled.

'I'm sorry Cohen. I promise it won't be forever and hey, I imagine that being like secret, forbidden lovers will only make the sex even hotter. Not that it's not amazing already my little stud, honestly I still can't walk properly from yesterday,' she said enthusiastically with a giggle and playful shove, trying to rid the room of the horrible tension that had filled it.

Seth nodded, still not looking at her. In fact, he'd yet to make any eye contact with her whatsoever since she'd told him. 'Yeah it's no problem. Come on, lets go downstairs,' he mumbled as he took her hand and led her out his room.

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'Okayyy, so uhh……………….thanks for coming by and I'll uhh………………….I'll see you at school……………..friend,' Seth said in what was very obviously (to Summer anyway) a fake cheerful voice as he opened the front door for her. He tried to give her a wink at the last word but it came out as more of a wince.

'Hang on, do you want a ride to school? I can wait with Ryan and your parents while you get ready, it sounds like they're having fun in there,' Summer said pleadingly as she motioned to the sounds of banter and laughter coming from the kitchen. She really didn't want to leave with him mad at her and even though he was trying to hide it, she could tell he was.

'Nah that's okay,' he replied in the same fake voice. 'I've caught a lift with Marissa everyday this year so far so why break tradition. I'll talk to you at lunch. Now go on, get outta this dump while you still can.' He then gently put his hands on her shoulders, spun her round and began to playfully shove her out the door. Although he was doing it in a joking manner, Summer got the feeling that he genuinely did want her to leave.

'Cohen. Stop! COHEN!' Summer cried pleadingly as she spun round to face him. 'Look Cohen, it's obvious you're not okay with this and I'm so, so sorry,' she said desperately, 'but……………….but I just can't. I……………… I'm………………………I'm just not ready yet but I will be soon, I promise.'

'No no, I'm finnnne,' Seth replied in an airy voice but she could see right through it. 'Really, it's cool. I'll see you at school okay.' Summer just nodded defeatedly before standing on her tiptoes to give him a big kiss. A split second before her lips were about to connect with his, she saw him move his head to the side and her mouth landed on his cheek.

After she had no choice but to give him a dejected, formal, business-partner-like peck on the cheek, Summer pulled back and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. 'See you soon Summer,' Seth said in a strange, emotionless voice.

'Okay, see you soon-...' Summer began to reply in a choked voice before she was cut off by Seth closing the door. '...-Cohen,' she added in a despairing whimper to his front door.

Summer dejectedly trudged over to her car and collapsed into the driver's seat. It was still a bit early to go into school so she decided to head back to her house. Only when she pulled out of the Cohen driveway did she let the tears begin to fall, why she had to do it she didn't know.

Summer knew she was in this relationship for the long run, so what the hell was the point in hiding it. And like Laura had said to her last week, she wasn't going to become a loser overnight just because she was dating one. She'd still have the friends that mattered to her, a hot body and a sweet personality so she wasn't really losing anything.

Summer pulled into her driveway, locked her car, ran upstairs and threw herself onto her bed sobbing. She picked up Princess Sparkle and began to stroke her shiny hair. She knew she'd just hurt and let Seth down just as much, if not more, than when she'd said those nasty things about him a fortnight ago. Only difference was he was now too scared of losing her to tell her how he really felt, and that was even worse in Summer's eyes. The fact that she was walking all over him and really hurting him but he was accepting it because he thought she was worth it, broke Summer's heart.

'Why is it so hard?' Summer mumbled to her toy horse between her hiccups and sniffles. 'No, why do I make love so hard?'

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**A/N – Please read & review**


	13. Sort it out

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

**WARNING: Here is another chapter that contains sexual content but I refuse to change the story rating. Don't worry, I am not going to be turning this story into one giant sexfest, it will die down in the next chapter or so. So anyway, if you don't like sexual stuff in fan fiction, don't read, simple as that.**

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'One moment of glory, is that too much to ask? I mean it's not like that's why I'm with her, I'm with her because I care about her so much, she's one of the most important people in my life and I definitely couldn't live without her. But these guys have made my life a living hell for as long as I can remember so don't you think it's fair that I seize the opportunity for a little payback when it comes along. Well obviously Summer doesn't because she's quite happy to tell me that she really likes me and that she wants to be with me, but when it comes to being seen together she still wants to act like I'm some sort of nasty stain. And she has the nerve to come to my house and ask me if I'm okay with it. I mean God, what did she expect me to say? "Wow Summer that sounds like a great idea and while you're at it why don't you tell everybody that I caught and STD off Mr. Redfearn, the weird looking gym teacher who stands and watches us shower after class." Nope, I may not be as popular as her but I sure as hell don't deserve this, right guys?'

'Look Seth, you've gotta look at it from Summer's perspective. You've been together for all of a day. She's popular, you're not. It makes sense that she doesn't want to risk her reputation until she's entirely sure that your relationship will work. She's just doing everything she can to make sure she doesn't lose both you and her status and she obviously feels that this is the best way to go about it. I mean what's the point in being ridiculed for something that she's not completely convinced will last and no offence but let's face it, she would be completely ridiculed. It's just human nature to want to protect what you already have. I would do exactly the same thing in her position and although you'll probably deny it, so would you.'

Seth just glared sulkily at Marissa from the backseat of her red BM due to the fact that he knew she was totally right. Maybe he had been a tad harsh on Summer that morning when she had told him what she wanted to do, but that was to be expected when he had absolutely no idea what it felt like to have everyone look up to him. He had always imagined how awesome it would be to have the whole school worship him and if it really was as sweet as he thought it would be, Seth could sort of understand why she was having so much trouble risking it. He knew that Summer cared about him and that she was genuinely sorry that she wanted to keep their relationship hidden, of that Seth had absolutely no doubt. But that didn't make it any easier for him to accept.

'I'm sorry Seth but I gotta agree with Marissa,' Ryan said. 'And I honestly can't see what your problem is. You've wanted to be with her forever right?'

'Yeah.'

'Well think back to all the times you've dreamt about being with her, not the sex dreams the having an actual relationship dreams. Has everyone knowing you're together and having a super public relationship ever been an integral part of these dreams?'

'No but-'

'Then why the hell does it matter to you in reality,' Marissa cut in. 'If you ask me you two have the perfect school relationship already anyway. You just fit so well together. I'm willing to hazard a guess that you act exactly the same way behind closed doors as you do at school, the only difference is that in private you're a lot more intimate, am I right?'

Seth pondered his friend's words. Marissa was one hundred percent correct in saying that they had the exact same relationship in school as they did outside. The friendly banter was there along with the shy glances and small touches that sent sparks in all directions. The only thing he and Summer did now they were a couple that they hadn't already done at school was make out, and now that he had taken a few seconds to analyze the situation Seth realized that he didn't need to do that in front of the whole of Harbor. He realized that being intimate with his girlfriend was something that should be done in private and even if Summer did have no problems with publicizing their relationship, they probably wouldn't act any differently to how they had acted when they were just good friends.

'Oh my God Coop-'

'Don't call me Coop.'

'-You are completely right. Apart from the physical side of things, our relationship hasn't really changed since last week. We still bicker, we still flirt, they only new thing is obviously the more serious talks and the whole sex and making out thing. But we're not like you guys. We don't need to make out all the time just to validate our feelings towards one another, we al-'

'HEY! You make it sound like making out is the only thing we do,' Marissa interjected, glaring angrily at Seth. 'Well you don't know anything about our relationship. We talk, we-'

'Yeah don't know, don't want to know, don't care. Listen guys, thanks for the ride and the advice,' Seth said as the car pulled into the parking lot. As soon as it stopped he hopped out and turned to face his friends. 'If you'll excuse me I've gotta go find my girlfriend and apologize for being such an asshole this morning. See you later.' With that, Seth turned and set off in a brisk walk leaving Ryan and Marissa still sat in the car glaring at him.

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Summer sat alone in a corner of the student lounge with a coffee in her hand and a miserable look on her face. It had only been an hour since she had left Cohen's house and the look of massive upset of his face when she had told him was unfortunately still fresh in her mind. She suspected that right at that very moment he was probably deciding whether or not to end it with her, and the thought of losing him before they had even really began absolutely terrified her. She could only hope and pray that he realized she didn't want to hurt him quite the opposite, she wanted nothing more than to make him happy but she also wanted to remain popular. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a body plop down next to her.

'Hey Summer, had a good weekend?'

'Hey Holly,' Summer replied through gritted teeth. Although everything with Seth had turned out okay, she could never forgive Holly for that horrible week that could've been spent with him but she had lost because of the blonde slut's shit stirring. 'Oh I've had an amazing weekend,' she added with a dreamy grin. Although she was in a really shitty mood, Summer couldn't help but fill with happiness whenever she thought about the weekend and how totally perfect it had been in every single way.

'That's great,' Holly replied enthusiastically but Summer could see that she was not really interested in the slightest. 'How come you're sat here all alone? I thought death breath Seth would be harassing you by now.' Summer felt a twinge of anger surge through her body. If Holly decided to continue insulting Seth as the topic of conversation, she knew it wouldn't be long before Barbie was on the receiving end of a pretty vicious rage blackout.

'He doesn't harass me, he's my friend,' Summer mumbled angrily.

'Yeah but why? The guy is pathetic. Sure he's kinda cute in an innocent little virgin sorta way but that doesn't make up for the fact that he's a weak, lame, geeky little waste of space.' Summer could feel her blood begin to boil. She clenched her fists and teeth together in order to prevent herself from doing or saying anything stupid. 'No that kid is definitely the biggest loser in this school by a long way. I mean you say he's okay but all I ever hear about is the fact that he listens to emo and reads comics and that is just gross, so I guess I just really can't understand what the hell you see in him.' Summer's brain decided that she had heard enough and she just lost it.

'I already told you, he's really funny. Not to mention smart and sweet and interested in more than just getting wasted and hooking up every weekend, unlike all the other asshole guys in this school. Besides, why do you care who I hang around with? I'm not upsetting you in any way so why don't you just leave me the hell alone, and him for that matter. You don't even know him so why do you hate him so much?' Summer said fiercely, glaring intensely at the other girl. Holly stared at her open-mouthed in stunned disbelief that a fellow student dare talk to her like that. Summer was just as surprised at her little rant as Holly was. A few months ago she would never in a million years have talked to another popular student like that, but it seemed that Seth Cohen was now a topic of which she could not stand to hear negativity about from absolutely anybody, popular or not.

'Okayyy, I'm just gonna go. Have a good day Summer,' Holly said quietly. She gathered her purse and walked off, trying to avoid the rays of hatred that were still shooting from Summer's eyes. When Holly had disappeared, Summer felt herself begin to calm down. The scary look in her eyes began to fade away and her nostrils stopped flaring in rage. She didn't know what the hell had just happened but it felt really good to finally give that slut a glimpse of what she really felt towards her, pure hatred. She knew that Holly's crew of skanks would probably hear about her little outburst and be ordered to never talk to her again, but she couldn't have given a flying fuck. It only meant that she would miss out on the treat of having to listen to them plotting how to humiliate a less attractive or popular student, so she wasn't particularly bothered because she had grown out of wanting to do that about a year ago.

Holly stomped through the corridors of Harbor with a look of fire in her eyes. The crowds parted for her when they got a glimpse of her wrath filled facial expression. She found who she was looking for and walked over to them. 'I suppose you know that Roberts has been hanging out with that nerd Seth Cohen for a while now.'

'Yeah what's up with that? Is she dating him or what?'

'Well I just had a little talk with her and I'm still not sure whether they are just friends or more. Either way I can definitely tell you that he's become really important to her. Bitch practically ripped my head of when I talked nasty about him. Know what you're going to do yet?'

'No but I guarantee that it'll upset her. God I hate that whore, she thinks she's better than everyone, especially me.'

'Me too. Well if you need any help you know where to find me. That motherless little skank is gonna regret the day she ever disrespected Holly Fischer. She just doesn't get that I own her, that I own this whole fucking school.'

'Just so you know, I don't give a shit about you or your friends. The only thing I care about is making that little slut as miserable as possible.'

'Well at the moment that's all I care about too. So lets just say we're friends through a common enemy, agreed?'

'Okay…………….friend. Let me know if you get any ideas.'

'Will do. See you around.'

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Summer was aimlessly wandering between the rows and rows of books. She was in the library because it was her study hall hour, and despite it being the perfect occasion to spend some time making progress on her geography assignment that needed desperate attention if it was to be handed in before the deadline passed, she couldn't focus on anything but Cohen and the events of that morning. She couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to react now he had had a couple of hours to think things over. It seemed that his pessimism had begun to rub off on her already because Summer had somehow managed to totally convince herself that he was going to end things with her and just thinking about it was absolutely killing her inside. Trying to distract herself from the horrible aching feeling in the pit of her stomach that had absolutely nothing to do with indigestion, Summer picked up a book about the Amazon rainforest and began to flick through the pages without purpose.

'BOO,' someone said in a loud whisper from about two foot behind her, causing Summer to rocket into the air. She spun round quickly, determined to begin the process of kicking the ass of complete tool who dared to make her jump like that as soon as possible.

'COHEN!' she said in an angry whisper due to the fact that they were in the library. When she saw that he was bent double with silent laughter she gave him the hardest jab she possibly could, something that made his amusement cease instantly. 'What the HELL do you thing you're doing,' she added in the same angry tone.

'God woman I was only fooling around, was there any need for the dead arm.' Summer softened at the sight of the pitiful look on his face. It seemed that she didn't know her own strength and that she'd really hurt him. Either that or he was just a weakling and couldn't take any kind of physical pain. Summer guessed it was the latter but she didn't really care, especially when he looked so cute standing there with a sulky expression while pitifully rubbing his arm.

'Awww poor baby,' Summer said softly with a big grin on her face. She moved his hand away from the area she punched, lifted up his short sleeve and placed a soft kiss on his pathetic excuse of a bicep. 'Better now?' she added sweetly. Seth just grinned at her and nodded. 'What are you doing here Cohen?'

'Oh my history teacher sent me to do some research for my project on the computer, what are you doing here?'

'Got a study session, not that I'm doing any studying. I can't concentrate, got too much on my mind.'

'Why, what are you thinking about?'

'You,' Summer replied with a shy grin.

'Yeah I've uhh……………...I've been thinking about you too,' Seth mumbled shyly with his own smile. 'Or this morning to be more specific. Look Summer, I'm so, so sorry about how I acted but I've-'

'You've come to a decision that after the way I treated you this morning there's no way you can possibly be with a horrible bitch like me anymore,' Summer cut in dejectedly. 'It's okay Cohen I get it and I deserve it. I just hope that we can still be friends,' she added quietly, not looking at him because she felt that if she did she would probably burst into tears. Then all of a sudden, Seth erupted into laughter.

'What? WHAT? You think this is funny?' Summer whispered in a deadly voice, starting to get angry again.

'No it's just, you had the nerve to call me a pessimist this morning when I thought you were going to break up with me and it turns out you're just as bad, if not worse,' Seth replied through chuckles. 'What I was going to say before you butted in was that I've had some time to think about it and I've come to realize that nothing or no one else matters. I don't care about whether people know about us or not, all I care about is the fact that there is an us. I'm really sorry for being such an asshole this morning and I hope you can find it in your icy heart to forgive me.'

'Oh my God you are so adorable,' Summer squealed happily. 'You really mean it? You're okay with this?' Seth grinned and nodded.

'As long as I'm with you I'm always going to be okay. I'm sorry if my little tantrum this morning ever made you doubt that.' Summer felt tears of happiness forming in the corners of her eyes. She was past the point of caring that she was falling deeper and deeper in love every day with the biggest dork in the world, simply because he was her dork. It was obvious to her that he worshipped the ground she walked on, and the fact that he was willing overlook all her faults and insecurities just to be with her made Summer wonder how she had ever survived the first sixteen years of her life without him.

'It's okay,' she replied while giving him a big watery-eyed grin, reaching out her hands and intertwining her fingers with his. 'There's really no need to apologize Cohen, God knows I deserved it. I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm really, really sorry Seth but like I told you, I'm just not ready to have people sticking their noses into stuff that's none of their business. It won't be forever and I promise I'll make it up to you, I'll do anything you want.'

'Anything?' Seth replied quizzically with raised eyebrows and a grin on his face.

'Anything,' she said seductively, pushing her body up against his and playfully straightening his collar. 'Anything at all.'

'Well……………..umm………………you could start by letting me take you out to dinner,' he said shyly.

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Summer pulled back and stared at him, mouth hanging open in disbelief. Here she was, offering to perform every sexual fantasy he had ever dreamt of and all he wanted to do was take her out and show her a good time. Well she would've classed the sex as a good time too, a **very** good time, but he was just as interested in giving her emotional pleasure as he was physical, and in that moment it seemed to Summer that his absolute perfection knew no boundaries. 'I mean uhh………..…….It's up to you, it was umm………………..it was just an idea. I…………………..I just thought tha-' He was stuttering and going bright red so she cut him off by throwing her arms round his neck and pulling him down for a passionate kiss. As their tongues lustfully tangled, she began to twirl the gorgeous curls on the back of his head between her fingers, an action she had come to love during the last three days. When she could hold out for air no longer, Summer pulled back and rested her forehead on his, panting heavily.

'I would love to go on a date with you Cohen,' she whispered softly, still playing with his hair.

'Really?' he said in a surprised tone. 'I mean don't feel like I'm forcing you or anything, it's still totally up to you.'

'Really Cohen I would love to,' she said with a big smile. 'You know, you never cease to amaze me.'

'Well I am amazing,' Seth replied with a smug grin.

'Seriously Cohen,' she said with a playful shove. 'I was actually hinting at sexual stuff when I said I'd do anything but a date sounds just as perfect.'

'Oh don't worry, I was planning on us going home afterwards and screwing all night like rabbits.'

'Great, I can't wait,' she replied with a giggle. 'I get the best of both sides of you in a single night, it's going to be so awesome.'

'Yeah, so I'll pick you up on Friday night at seven and don't worry, I was thinking we could go out to Long Beach or even LA so no one recognizes us.' Summer just looked away and nodded silently in reply. An intense feeling of guilt had descended upon her at his words. Seth obviously sensed it as he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and said, 'Summer, just forget about it okay. I'm cool with it, honestly. Anyways I gotta go but I'll see you at lunch okay.' He reached down and placed a gentle kiss on her nose, an action that made her grin from ear to ear and fill her from head to toe with warmth and happiness.

As he turned to leave, Summer scanned up and down the isle and when she was totally sure that no one else was there she grabbed for his hand, spun him round and crashed her lips against his in a forceful manner. She was determined to show him how important a part of her life he was now, how in the space of a few short months she had gone from barely acknowledging his existence to being unable to live without him. When she pulled back Summer grinned at the look on Seth's face. He was blinking rapidly as if he was trying to process what had just happened, visibly swaying as if he was dizzy and had pink lipstick all over his lips and the side of his mouth. 'Okay, umm………………..what just happened?' he said in a shocked but delighted tone. Summer giggled at his goofiness.

'Well I'm not entirely sure but I think I kissed you Cohen,' she replied sarcastically through her giggles. 'Although a kiss on the nose is really cute, it's not really a proper goodbye so I took matters into my own hands,' she added before burying her face in his neck and breathing in his delightful scent, placing small kisses on his Adam's Apple every so often.

'Oh okay. Well from now on you are officially in charge of goodbyes,' he said in a flustered voice through heavy breathing. Summer just smiled into the crook of his neck. She loved moments like this when she was incredibly close to him, she felt so safe, so protected, so loved. Being in his arms somehow made Summer manage to forget about all her problems. Holly, Marissa, her father, her mother, Summer classed them all and the issues that surrounded them as problems but none of them mattered when she was with Cohen, her Cohen. She pulled back, reached up and cupped his face in her hands and placed another soft, gentle kiss on his lips.

'See you at lunch Cohen and if I'm feeling horny enough I might let you hold my hand under the table,' she said in mock seduction. Seth just gave her an amused smirk which she returned before turning and sauntering off. Her grin grew bigger when she saw through the reflection of a window in front of her that he was majorly checking out her ass and readjusting his package accordingly. She didn't care that he had brief moments where he was just like every other dumb sex obsessed guy in the school because the fact of the matter was that she belonged to him and him only. Her heart, body and soul, it was all his and as far as she was concerned he could check her out as much as he damn well liked.

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'I wonder where Laura is,' Seth said curiously as I plopped himself down next to Summer. Ryan and Marissa were sat across from them and didn't even acknowledge his arrival, they were too busy whispering and giggling and playing footsy under the table, it was sickening. 'Have you seen her today?' he said as he picked up a nugget and popped it in his mouth. Summer shook her head.

'Why don't you give her a call?' she suggested. 'She has got a cell right?' she added when she remembered that Laura was well below the poverty line. She was pretty much one notch above being homeless.

'Good idea,' he replied through a mouthful of fries. 'Yes she has got a cell phone but you should see it, it's ancient. It's the size of a house brick and doesn't even have a colour screen. She likes to use it as little as possible because it's so embarrassing.' Seth flipped open his phone and found her contact. He put it to his ear and gave a burp while he waited for her to pick up. Summer just gave him a disgusted scowl to which he replied with an innocent grin. 'Hey uhh...who's that? Oh hey man its Seth, what's goin on, where's Laura?' Summer could only hear Seth's side of the conversation and was intrigued as to who it was. 'Really? Awww poor girl. Okay man no worries. Tell her I called will ya. Okay see ya buddy, bye.'

'Who was that?' Summer said curiously when he had hung up the phone.

'That was Vernon, one of her older brothers. He's taken the day off work today to look after her because apparently Laura has chicken pox.'

'Really?' Summer said in an amused tone. She'd never known anyone above the age of ten catch chicken pox. 'Ooh I know what we should do,' she added excitedly. 'We should go to her house and take pictures of her in her current spotty state. Then we'd have something to blackmail her with if we ever want her to do stuff for us.'

'Summer!' Seth replied sternly. 'She's our friend.'

'Relax Cohen I was kidding.'

'Oh okay. So uhh, are you feeling horny,' he said with a grin.

'What the hell are you talking about Cohen?' she replied in a confused tone.

'Earlier in the library you said that if you were feeling horny enough I could hold your hand under the table.'

'Oh yeah,' she said in an amused tone when she remembered back to their earlier conversation. 'I guess I'm up for it, if you think you can handle holding my hand that is,' she added in a mock seductive tone.

'Are you kidding? I'm gonna hold your hand so hard that you'll be begging for more by the time I'm done with you,' Seth replied in a lustful voice even though he was struggling to contain his laughter.

'Oh stop Cohen, you're making me all hot,' she said sarcastically through giggles. Seth reached under the table and laced his fingers with hers.

'Oh yeah, there it is. You like that don't you,' he said in a fake fierce voice.

'Oh God yeah,' she replied in fake ecstasy, closing her eyes as if she was savouring the pleasure. 'Harder Cohen, hold it harder.' They looked at each other and erupted into a loud fit of giggles. Ryan and Marissa, who hadn't seen the exchange, looked at them as if they were a pair of crackheads.

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Half an hour later and the two teens' fingers were still strongly connected. The whole of lunch they had not relinquished their firm grip once and even though it had been difficult to do certain things, such as open a bag of potato chips with one hand, they were both determined to keep the special moment going as long as possible. It may not have seemed very special but they both thought it was. It was their first time in public as an official couple and even though they were hiding it, it still felt good to acknowledge their togetherness in some place other than their bedrooms or behind a dusty old shelf in the back of the library.

Ryan and Marissa were chatting away while they sat in comfortable silence when all of a sudden Seth broke their fingers apart, moved his hand onto her thigh and began to rub softly. Summer swatted his hand away under the table while shaking her head at him and grinning. This didn't deter Seth as he just mischievously smirked at her before trying again, this time moving his hand inside her miniskirt. 'Cohen!' she whispered threateningly while pushing his hand away again but she was still smiling. Seth sighed and leant back in his chair, apparently giving up. But after a few seconds when Summer had relaxed her guard, in one quick, smooth motion he snaked his hand up her skirt and inside her laced panties.

'Cohen,' she said in a deadly whisper. 'Don't you da- oh.' Before she could finish, Summer felt him rhythmically stroking his thumb over her most sensitive area. He was going slow but she could already feel herself getting wet under his gentle touch. He gave her a look that clearly said "what are you gonna do about it?" to which she replied with an intense glare but didn't say anything. When Seth got no verbal response to his questioning look, he took it as an invitation to continue. He slowly increased his stroking motion and he felt her clit swell and harden more and more with every brush, causing him to give a satisfied grin. As far as he was concerned the greatest satisfaction came with pleasing her.

Summer gripped the table leg with such ferocity that her knuckles went white and it felt like the metal was about to cut into her skin. As he picked up the pace more and more she felt him gently insert two fingers into her and she nearly screamed in pleasure right then and there. She didn't know if it was her mind playing tricks on her but Summer honestly felt that she couldn't even work herself that good. It was like he knew how to touch her better than she knew herself. It was a good job that Ryan and Marissa were so engrossed in their own little session of intimacy (albeit not quite as dirty, they were just making out) because Summer was pretty sure that Marissa would recognize what was going on. It was also a relief that the eating area had drained considerably and there were only a few people left sat on other side because she wasn't sure that she was doing a very convincing job of hiding the shockwaves of bliss that were pulsating through her at a colossal rate. She had her eyes closed savouring the pleasure, a bright red face and her breathing was fast and ragged. She also couldn't help the odd whimper that escaped her lips even though she was biting down hard on her bottom one in order to prevent letting out the loud moans that were so desperately trying to break out.

Summer felt herself rapidly approaching. Her mind was cloudy and she felt incredibly weak. She was focusing all her efforts on looking as calm and collected as possible even though she so desperately wanted to shriek his name at the top of her lungs. Seth could see she was nearly there and with all the force he could muster without making it obvious as to what he was doing, he thrust into her soaking wet centre. With one last roll of his thumb and push of his fingers he felt her tighten around him and powerfully release. He smirked at the sight of her trying to contain her shuddering and uneven breaths. She slumped in her seat and he could hear her barely audible whimpers and purrs. Every now and then he gave her another gentle stroke and watched in satisfaction as she gave a little jolt at the aftershock that came with it.

After a few moments of nothingness, Seth pulled his dripping fingers out of Summer's core and gave her a smirk that clearly said "you enjoyed that didn't you?" Summer grinned at him. She was pissed off that he had the audacity to pull a stunt like that but just couldn't get very mad at him when said stunt felt that damn good. A few seconds later Ryan and Marissa pulled apart from their liplock that had lasted the whole time Seth had been touching Summer, a good five minutes. It was obvious that they were none the wiser of what had just happened less than three feet from them.

'We got crappy physics,' Marissa said with a sigh. 'You ready to go Sum?'

'Oh you know what, you go ahead. I just want a quick word with Cohen, save me a seat please,' she replied in what was meant to be an airy tone but it came out all high pitched, flustered and weird. She had definitely not yet recovered from Seth working his magic.

'Okay see you in a few, bye Seth?' Seth just gave Marissa a small wave and returned the nod that he received off Ryan. When they were gone, Seth turned to his girlfriend with an amused smirk on his face.

'They really are unobservant shitheads along with the rest of the people in this general area aren't they,' he said amusedly.

'Fetch me some toilet tissue now Cohen. I've got to clean up the mess that you've created,' Summer replied, trying to sound angry but failing to pass it off due to the lazy, very satisfied grin on her face.

'Yeah but admit it, you really enjoyed me creating that mess didn't you,' Seth replied smugly.

'While it may have been slightly enjoyable, it was also very inappropriate and I swear to God I'll will get you back for doing this to me,' she said fiercely but he could tell from the glare on her face, more a lustful one than an angry one, that her payback was going to be very enjoyable for him too.

'Can't wait Summer, can't wait.'

'COHEN. TISSUE. NOW!!'

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**A/N – There you go folks. I know it's another dirty one and a lot of you may not like that but I promise that this will be the last one for a while. Anyway, please, please, PLEASE leave a review. Thanks.**


	14. A night to remember

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

**WARNING – Some light sexual content in this one, nothing like the other chapters but be warned anyways.**

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'OH MY GOD HELP ME!!'

'Relax will you, you're date isn't for another four hours yet.'

'Four hours is so not a long time, especially when I haven't even chosen what to wear yet. And then there's my hair and makeup and waxing and don't you think I look a little pasty, I may have to get on the tanning bed for a couple of minutes.'

'Ugh, remind me why I'm here again Summer?'

'I already told you, Coop left this afternoon to visit her grandparents for the weekend and there's no way in hell I'm gonna ask Holly or her team of super skanks for help. Nope, you'll have to do. Now get your lazy ass off my bed and come in here.' Laura just rolled her eyes before jumping up and unenthusiastically trudging into Summer's walk-in closet. 'Now look through that rack over there and tell me what you like best, I've narrowed it down to ten choices,' Summer added, barely audible because she was on her knees and rummaging through mountains of shoe boxes.

'You've gotta be kidding me,' Laura replied in disbelief, causing the brunette to stand up and stare at her impatiently, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. 'Summer look at me, I don't know the slightest thing about clothes. The majority of what I've got on right now is from freaking K-Mart. This dress,' she said, picking up a gorgeous knee length red strapped dress by Chanel off the rack. 'This cost what, about a thousand dollars?'

'Fifteen hundred,' Summer replied impatiently, tapping her foot. It was obvious that she thought they really didn't have time to stop moving, even for a minute.

'Exactly my point, the most expensive thing I've ever worn is a sixty dollar necklace. All I'm trying to say is that if you wanted help in choosing which of your expensive designer dresses to wear, you couldn't have picked a worse person to ask.'

'Well that's nice,' Summer replied in a sweet, extra slow voice as if she was talking to someone who was mentally challenged. 'But I'm not asking for your help, I'm asking for your opinion. All I want you to do is look through that freaking rack and tell me which one you think would look best on me. There is no wrong answer, I'm not gonna shout at you, all I want is a second opinion. Now do you think you can manage that for me huh?'

Laura glared at Summer in response, she didn't appreciate her tone but nonetheless began to flick through the collection of dresses until she found the one that she felt would most suit the brunette for this particular occasion. It was a simple jet black Donna Karan with a V-neck and short sleeves, and would hug Summer's hips perfectly and hit her just above the knee. Matched with the right shoes and jewelry Laura had no doubt it'd look magnificent on Summer. She pulled it off the rack and turned round to face her, holding it up to show her she had made a choice. They both smirked at each other and nodded.

'He won't know what hit him,' Laura said enthusiastically. 'Not that it matters anyway because the guy is so completely and utterly obsessed with you that you could turn up dressed in rags and smelling like a dead fish and he'd still want to fuck you senseless, pretty much any guy would for that matter.'

'Thanks,' Summer mumbled shyly in reply. 'See you're not too bad at this whole clothes picking thing, that's actually the one I was thinking and I've got seventeen years experience in this crap. You should be my stylist and pick my outfit's everyday because it may seem fun now but trust me, it gets old pretty quick. Nowadays I just find it so freaking annoying.'

'Oh yeah, I imagine it's so hard being the daughter of an incredibly rich plastic surgeon and getting whatever you want whenever you want. Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to be in your five hundred dollar shoes,' Laura replied sarcastically while grinning. Summer grinned back at her before throwing the Ug boot in her hand at her.

'Shut up bitch it is hard,' Summer whined. 'Come on, bathroom, its makeup time.'

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Laura stood outside the closed bathroom door bouncing on her heels excitedly. This was definitely the most girly thing she'd ever done and was surprised that she'd actually found it quite enjoyable. It wasn't gonna make her go out and buy loads of dresses and high heels because that just wasn't who she was, but she had to admit that it felt good to hang out with what would be considered in today's society as a "normal" girl and do "normal" girl things.

The bathroom door opened and Summer emerged. 'Oh,' Laura gasped, 'Summer, you look stunning,' she added softly, in total awe of her friend. She looked radiant in the dress with matching black short heels that had straps snaking up around her ankles. She had a small silver heart necklace on and a matching bracelet on her wrist. It was simple yet very elegant.

She'd also kept her makeup to a minimum, only putting on a layer of pink lipstick and a thin coating of eyeliner to match her freshly manicured and painted nails, simply due to the fact that she had absolutely no need for it. She was by far the most naturally beautiful human being Laura had ever seen. Besides, the happy glow radiating from her cheeks made her look more gorgeous than any cosmetic ever could, no matter how expensive. She'd straightened her sleek raven hair but curled an inch or so at the bottom. Laura honestly wouldn't be surprised if she sprouted a halo and wings because that was exactly what she looked like, an angel.

Summer smiled at her friend's reaction. 'Really? You think the makeup's okay? What about the hair, the jewelry?'

'Summer its perfect okay, don't change anything and I guarantee you'll make him blow his load as soon as you open the front door.' Summer burst into giggles at her friends comment. Ever since Laura had returned to school on Thursday they'd gotten to know each other a lot better and had become good friends. The only reason Summer had never liked her in the first place was because she felt that she was stealing Seth from her, but now that she and Seth were together it was obvious that Laura was nothing but happy for them. She even went as far as smugly reminding them at every possible occasion that she'd played a major part in them getting together. 'So, half an hour to go, how're you feeling?' Laura asked with a smirk.

'Really excited but also really nervous,' Summer replied, taking a deep breath.

'Relax, you've got nothing to worry about.'

'I know there's nothing riding on this but I really want it to go well because I'm planning on there being plenty more of these.'

'Are you sure that you haven't misunderstood him? I mean no offence but Seth is a bit of a retard when it comes to girls and he could well consider the bowling alley and buying you a cheeseburger as a date. Imagine how embarrassing it'd be if he showed up in jeans, t-shirt and his converse while you're stood there dressed like that.'

'No I asked him this afternoon and he told me to dress nice. I think he's pulled out all the stops, fancy restaurant and everything. He's really sweet like that,' Summer said with a dreamy grin on her face. Laura looked at her friend staring off into space, no doubt thinking of one person and she couldn't help but beam. She was so happy that two of her best friends had found love and even though they wouldn't dare admit it yet, Laura could tell they were in the first stages of a love that could quite possibly span an entire lifetime, it was definitely bigger than your typical high school relationship.

'Whoa. you've got it bad girl,' she said with a smirk.

'I'm sorry what?' Summer replied, annoyed at being snapped out of her Cohen filled daydream.

'It's okay to admit it, you're falling for him big style aren't you.' Summer went about five different shades of red but still gave a small, embarrassed nod in reply. 'It's okay, he feels the same way. He fell for you years ago, even when you were treating him like shit.

'Yeah enough about me, what about you?' Summer said quickly, wanting to change the topic. 'Come on, girl talk,' she added as she took Laura's hand and dragged her over to her bed. 'Sooooo,' she said as soon as she'd found a comfortable position that didn't wreck her appearance, 'anyone you like at the moment?'

'What, oh uhh no not really. I'm just focusing on doing well at school at the moment,' Laura mumbled timidly in reply. It was obvious she was not really comfortable talking about herself but Summer didn't care, she wanted some info.

'Oh come on Laura, you are so boring,' Summer replied, rolling her eyes. 'Are you honestly saying that there's no one in the whole school that you're interested in?'

'Well, I……………………uhh, I………………….nope, no one,' Laura finished lamely.

'Oh hell no,' Summer replied fiercely, 'that was something, you were about to say something. Come on, spill.'

'Okay but you have to promise not to say anything to anyone, it's just a stupid crush.' Summer just nodded her head excitedly in reply. 'Hayden in my physics class,' Laura mumbled turning a deep red.

'Hayden Walters? That's nothing to be embarrassed about girl, he's freaking gorgeous.'

'No uhh……………….umm, the other Hayden. Hayden Gregory.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah. Oh exactly.'

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As Seth pulled into the gated community he saw Laura's dirty old pickup truck fly past him. She waved frantically at him and gave the thumbs up which he returned. He didn't know why but he was really nervous. He knew it didn't really matter and she wasn't going to break up with him if it went crappy, they were already way past a bad first date ruining things, but that still didn't stop him from wanting everything to go totally perfect.

Summer had after all offered him sex on a plate and he'd turned it down in favour of doing this, so he felt obligated to make the evening as fun as a steamy all night bout of passionate love making would've been. But Seth was hoping that if everything went well they'd be coming back and doing that anyway.

'Hey Cohen,' Summer said brightly as she flung open the door. She grinned when she saw his jaw practically hit the floor.

'Hey, uhh……………….you, you look……………….uhh. Wow, I uhh, I-I………………I can't speak.' Summer blushed and mumbled thanks before reaching forward and pulling him in for a passionate kiss. When she pulled back she began to playfully smooth out his collar.

'You don't look too bad yourself Cohen,' she said huskily. He was dressed in a black suit jacket with a light blue open collar shirt underneath. He had black suit pants on as well, a pair of smart brown leather shoes and a brown belt with an eagle buckle on. Summer loved it when guys wore fancy belt buckles and she thought the one he had on complimented him and his look very well.

She thought he looked so fucking sexy that she wanted nothing more than to rip off both their clothes and devour him right there on the foyer floor, but then she remembered that they could do that all night long when they got back. 'You could've at least shaved though,' she said with a scowl as she cupped the thick stubble all over his face and chin in her hands.

'Ahh but there's a reason as to why I haven't shaved,' Seth replied with a grin. 'Tonight Summer, you're not dating Seth Cohen, you're dating William Foster, a 21 year old medical science student from the San Diego area,' he added smugly while producing a surprisingly realistic fake ID from his pocket. 'The beard makes me look older, they're more likely to fall for it.'

'Cohen you've got to drive and I'm not drinking if you aren't.'

'Way ahead of you Summer, I called a cab, it's on the way.'

'Where are we going,' she asked curiously.

'Not telling you, it's a surprise,' he replied with a grin.

'Well at least tell me whereabouts it is that we're going.'

'L.A.'

'Cohen,' Summer said loudly, mouth hanging open in disbelief. 'A cab ride to L.A and back will cost hundreds of dollars.'

'Relax woman. I'm might not get a thousand dollars a week like you but my allowance is still pretty big. All I want you to worry about is having a good time, money being no object,' Seth replied, wrapping his arms round her shoulders and placing a kiss on her forehead. Summer smiled and rested her head on his chest. They just stood in peaceful silence for a few minutes, moving their faces together for the odd gentle kiss every now and then, until it was interrupted by the sound of a car horn outside. Seth took Summer's hand and led her towards the door. 'There's the cab, lets go.'

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'OH MY FUCKING GOD,' Seth said loudly in absolutely stunned disbelief.

'Remember Cohen you can't tell anyone, I promised her I wouldn't,' Summer replied desperately. They were cuddled together in the back of the cab on route towards the twinkling lights of tinseltown and she was telling him about what had gone on since she'd last seen him earlier that afternoon.

'Yeah no I know, don't worry my lips are sealed. I'm…………………….I-I……………………I just can't comprehend it, I………………..REALLY, Hayden Gregory? That would mean she's a-'

'Yep, Laura is a fully fledged lesbian.'

'Wow, well I guess it makes sense. I mean she's pretty attractive and I've always wondered why she didn't have a boyfriend and never showed any interest whatsoever in getting one. I just can't believe she didn't tell me,' Seth replied incredulously.

'She told me she hasn't even told her family yet. I think she's just scared of how they'll react.'

'Well she's got nothing to worry about. I've seen how much they love her and I don't think the fact that she's gay is going to change that. Are you sure she's like a total lesbian? You sure she's not just bi?' Seth was still having trouble processing the information. In the month that he'd known her, Laura had become one of his best friends. He loved her to bits and the fact that she was gay didn't change how much he cared about her, he was just a little pissed that she could keep something that big from both him and her family for so long. He'd told her everything about himself and he thought she'd done the same but apparently not.

'No she's definitely completely gay. She told me she's never been attracted to a male before, she finds them totally gross, especially you,' Summer answered with a grin.

'Oh no, so the secret affair with her behind your back that I was planning is out of the question then?' Seth said sarcastically.

'Cohen,' she replied with a playful shove. 'Saying things like that isn't gonna help your cause for when we get back home tonight,' she added teasingly, inching her face closer to his. She watched him close his eyes in anticipation and decided to torment him by just giving his lips the lightest brush with the tip of her tongue. She smiled at him sweetly when he snapped open his eyes and gave her an annoyed glare. 'Well what do you expect when you're talking about having affairs behind my back and stuff?' she added in a fake angry voice.

'Okay I'm sorry,' he said with the cute, pleading puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist. 'I was only joking, I hope you know you're the only girl for me my darling.'

'Mmmm that's better,' Summer replied with a grin as she leaned forward again and really did catch his lips in a passionate kiss this time. After several minutes of intense making out, they didn't show any signs of stopping, instead Summer had pushed herself even closer against him. When she felt his hand begin to snake under her dress and up her thigh though, she pulled back and swatted his hand away playfully.

'Cohen, we are not having a repeat of what happened at school in the back of this filthy old cab,' she whispered defiantly.

'Why? Don't deny it, you enjoyed what happened at school,' Seth replied with a grin while directing his hand towards her underwear again.

'Yeah well you enjoyed what happened at the comic store,' she replied with an amused smirk while swatting his hand away again, 'but can you honestly say that you'd want a repeat of that here huh?' Seth smirked and shook his head in reply, remembering back to what had happened earlier that week.

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Both of them had their two last periods free on Wednesday afternoon. Seth had already made plans to go to the comic book store and Summer had decided that since he was going to the big one in Huntington Beach, a good half hour drive from Newport, there was little risk of being recognized and that she should go with him. She'd just wanted to spend time with him, even if that meant going in a type of shop that she'd sworn she would never go within a hundred foot radius of.

Seth had been browsing the racks in the back of the store and Summer had been following him, bored out of her skull, when she'd noticed that no one was around. Deciding that it'd be the perfect opportunity to give him a taste of his own medicine and dish out the payback that he'd not yet received for the little stunt he'd pulled a few days earlier at school, she had flipped him round, knelt down level with his waist, unzipped his pants and took him in her mouth. Having drunkenly done it once before to a random at a party a few years ago and discovering that she really wasn't the swallowing type, Summer had ordered him to tell her when he was close.

Initially Seth had protested, saying that it was his favourite store and he really didn't want to get barred, but when Summer started doing a flicking motion with her tongue that drove him crazy, he quickly shut up. Although it felt really good, he was incredibly uncomfortable with the situation, but he knew he deserved it because she must've felt exactly the same when he'd touched her at school Monday lunchtime.

Seth was constantly on the lookout but they were in a real secluded part of the store and it didn't look like anyone was gonna come (apart from himself that is). The only sounds were his heavy breathing, the odd small grunt that escaped his lips and the tight suction Summer had on him.

When Seth had felt climax closing in on him he'd gavin a light tug on Summer's hair. She'd stood up and wiped her mouth just in time to watch him turn and spray all over a nearby rack of Wonder Woman comics. Summer found it absolutely hilarious and had teased him through her hysterical laughter that only now did she know the true extent of his comic geekiness, now that she'd seen him blow his load over Wonder Woman. He'd just glared at her in reply before putting himself back in his pants, adjusting his package accordingly, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the store.

On the drive home they'd both seen the funny side of it although Seth did complain that they'd probably been picked up on CCTV and that next time he went, there'd probably be a banned for life poster of him stuck on the front door.

He'd also apologised to Summer for what he did at school earlier in the week, saying that he didn't realise how uncomfortable a situation it was until it was her doing it to him. She'd told him to forget about it and although it was really exciting, they both agreed that from then on, that level of intimacy should be consigned to much less public places.

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'Were here, can you pull up over here please buddy,' Seth said to the cab driver after he unattached his lips from Summer's and noticed where they were. They got out and Seth handed the driver a fat wad of the cash through the window. They were stood at a crossroad and Summer looked at the sign hanging on one of streetlamps above, it read 3rd Street west. She knew they were bang in the middle of West Hollywood and that there were plenty of fancy restaurants along this particular stretch fit for an A-list celebrity to be seen eating at. 'Come on Sum it's just up here, let's go,' Seth said as he reached for her hand.

They walked hand in hand for a few minutes in comfortable silence, occasionally stealing glances at each other and exchanging shy smiles whenever their eyes locked. They rounded a corner onto a smaller street off the boulevard and Seth suddenly stopped. 'There it is,' he said as he pointed across the road. Summer followed his finger and clapped her hand to her mouth when she saw what he was pointing at.

It was a quaint little, incredibly romantic looking restaurant called The Little Door. Summer had read about it and its super expensive menu in L.A newspapers. Apparently it was the most romantic restaurant in the city and a favourite spot of A-list couples such as Demi and Ashton, Tom and Katie and Nick and Jessica before the divorce. 'Oh my God Cohen,' Summer whispered softly in total awe. 'How the hell did you get a reservation here for a Friday night?'

'My grandpa knows the chef personally and he pulled a few strings for me. You like it?' Seth asked nervously.

'Like it! Are you kidding Cohen I love it,' she replied as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in it. 'You are beyond perfect you know that,' she whispered in his ear, causing him to grin and blush furiously.

'I'm glad you like it,' he mumbled embarrassedly. 'Come on, lets go inside,' he added, taking her hand and leading her across the street.

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'Table for two reserved under Cohen,' Seth said to the greeter.

'Right this way sir. Your table is out on the balcony overlooking the city but please feel free to situate yourselves in a booth in our piano room after your meal.'

'Okay thank you.' They made small talk for a few minutes while looking at their menus and the magnificent view of the city below, Seth's hand permanently rested on top of Summer's on the table, gently stroking his thumb over her knuckles. That was what they both loved most about their relationship, the fact that there was always some kind of contact between them whether it be verbal or physical, the whispered phrases and small touches meant the world to both of them. It reassured them that they were never gonna become one of those couples who just stopped communicating.

'Umm I'll have the swordfish special please,' Summer said to the waiter who'd come to take their order.

'Excellent choice miss, and for you sir?'

'Uhh I'll take the fillet, medium please.'

'Certainly sir, can I get you anything else?'

'Can we uhh………………can we have a bottle of your finest champagne please.'

'Of course sir, I'm afraid I will have to ask to see some kind of identification first though.' Seth just rolled his eyes as if it was a bother and confidently produced the fake from his wallet. The waiter took it and alternated between studying him and the card. 'Are you sure you're 21 sir?' he said suspiciously.

'I'm pretty sure I know my own age,' Seth replied, putting on a pretty convincing act of being offended. 'Now could you please fetch us our champagne.' As the waiter went to hand back the ID, Seth subtly slipped a twenty into his hand.

'Of course sir,' the waiter replied with a knowing but not caring smirk, 'sorry for offending you.' As he turned to leave, Seth turned to Summer with a smug grin on his face.

'Smooth Cohen,' she said with her own grin. 'If only you were that smooth with me maybe you'd get in my pants more often,' she added teasingly, even though she knew that even when he was at his geeky, mumbling worst he still had the ability to get into her pants with ease.

'I am smooth with you Sum, just in a different way. How the hell do you think I got you to notice me in the first place?' he countered with a cocky smirk and raised eyebrows.

'Uhh you got beat up by two drunk guys, I personally fail to see the smoothness Cohen,' she jibed back.

'Ahh but you don't realize that that was all part of the Seth Cohen master plan. Besides, a few broken ribs were well worth it in the long run, at least for me they were,' he said with a shy smile. 'What about you?'

'Definitely. Who would've thought that nearly getting raped would turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me? I mean that's ultimately what led to all this, us.'

'You really think that this is one of the best things that ever happened to you,' Seth asked in a surprised voice. Summer blushed violently and nodded.

'Don't you?' she asked quietly.

'Are you kidding Sum, this is **definitely** the best thing that's ever happened to me. I mean you must've had some idea that I'd had a massive crush on you for as long as I can remember, you uhh………………..you were the girl of my dreams, umm……………….you still are for that matter,' he mumbled bashfully, his cheeks and nose developing a bright pink tint due to embarrassment.

Summer nearly swooned at his words. 'Yeah I knew Cohen, I just thought you were lame back then so I ignored it,' she replied teasingly. 'But don't worry,' she added softly. 'I'm sure it will surprise you as much as it did me, but you actually turned out to be the guy of my dreams too.'

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'No no no no no Cohen,' Summer shrieked through her giggles. 'I'm telling you, girls think Wolverine is the sexiest comic book hero, Hugh Jackman is so hot.' After an amazing dinner, the two teens had indeed moved to a booth in the piano room as it was called. It was an incredibly romantic setting with dimmed lights, candles everywhere and soft ballads playing in the background. Summer was sat in Seth's lap with her legs draped to the side and her arms curled round his neck. They were well into their third bottle of champagne and both were very tipsy.

'Really? I always thought it would be Superman that the girls love,' Seth replied loudly as he took another swig from his glass. It was a good job that the booths had high sides and the thick wood made them soundproof because if they weren't, the couple would no doubt be disturbing other people.

'Nah, Superman's okay but he's just too over the top. You know, you'd make a great superhero Cohen,' Summer said loudly and giggly. 'Think about it, they're all losers by day and awesome by night, just like you,' she added teasingly. She broke into ever bigger hysterics when she saw his facial expression. He was obviously trying to put on an upset pout but due to his tipsiness it came out as more of a half-grin, half-frown that made him look like he'd had a botched botox job. 'Awww poor baaaabbbbyyy,' Summer squealed drunkenly at his cuteness and leaned down to kiss him. 'It's okay Cohen,' she mumbled, barely audible as she had pressed her face deep into his neck, 'because you're my superhero you know that.' Seth just turned red and grinned drunkenly in response.

After a few more minutes of drinking, bantering, giggling and flirting, Seth called for a final bottle of champagne and the bill. Despite her whining that he'd spent far too much money on her and demanding to know exactly how much, he refused to let Summer see the receipt for six thousand dollars before burying it deep in his pocket. He instead chose to give her a big drunken smooch and tell her that she was worth every last penny, something that seemed to satisfy her as she snuggled even closer to him and mumbled her thanks for an amazing evening over and over again.

'No Cohen I got it. To comic books,' Summer screeched with laughter as she raised her glass a little too fast, causing a large chunk of the contents to spill over her dress, something that made her double up even more. The dregs of the fourth bottle were in their glasses and they were both now officially drunk. For the last half of the bottle they had been toasting to random things. They had already toasted to Ryan, Marissa, Ryissa, Hugh Jackman, The Valley, Deathcab and Holly dying a very painful death.

'No that's not fair on you,' Seth replied amusedly, a slight slur in his words. 'It's the last toast of the night so it has to be to something that we both like.'

'Okay, umm………………….OOH I KNOW,' she squealed overly excitedly. 'To sex Cohen, we both really like that don't we,' she added seductively. Seth just grinned goofily and nodded before clinking his glass against hers and downing the contents in one. After she had knocked back her own drink, Summer put her glass on the table, straddled Seth's lap and greedily forced her tongue into his mouth. She cupped the sexy stubble on his face and moaned softly as their tongues urgently tangled. When she resurfaced for air she put her forehead on his. 'Thank you……………….for…………………an amazing………………..date Cohen,' she whispered softly, giving him a passionate kiss in between every word. Seth mumbled something into her lips in reply but she couldn't register what, as she had forcefully connected her mouth with his again. When they pulled apart they just stared lovingly into each others eyes before Summer buried her face in Seth's chest, clinging to him for dear life as if he was the most beautiful yet fragile thing in the world.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence only broken by the odd stifled giggle from one of them, (they were both at that stage of intoxication where everything is absolutely hilarious), Seth noticed something on the table. 'Hey look at this Sum,' he slurred, 'they give you a complementary cigar and lighter with your bill.' He surprised Summer when he picked it up, lit it and confidently inhaled a drag, but caused her to burst into shrieks of hysterical laughter when he began to cough and splutter.

'Give me that Cohen,' she replied through chuckles. She took the cigar of him and took a long drag. She held it in her lungs for several seconds before playfully blowing it out in his face. Seth took it from her and took another puff but this time he didn't cough, it seemed that he'd gotten used to it. They continued to pass the cigar between each other until it was down to the butt. Seth stubbed it out in the ashtray.

'Wow, everyone says smoking is bad for you but damn does it taste good,' he slurred.

'You like that Cohen,' Summer responded amusedly. Seth just grinned goofily and nodded. 'Well I know where we can get something a little stronger, you interested?' she added with a mischievous smirk and raised eyebrows.

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'You sure about this Summer,' Seth asked nervously. 'I mean how do you know?'

'Trust me Cohen, I can spot a dealer from a mile off. It's just the way they walk, their body actions. I have no doubt that he is one.'

'Wow, you should work for the FBI,' Seth said loudly and sarcastically, causing both of them to drunkenly collapse into each other's arms in a fit of giggles.

'Go on Cohen. Go ask for an eighth of pot, it'll be fun, trust me.' She pulled his head down and gave him a deep kiss to reassure him. As he turned to walk away, she slapped his butt as hard as she could before falling against a nearby streetlamp for support as she went into a fit of convulsed laughter. Seth staggered over to the shady looking guy.

'Hey bro. Can I uhh……………………..can I get an eighth of pot buddy.' The dealer eyed the swaying, disoriented guy in front of him suspiciously. When he decided that this guy was too drunk to be a narc he chose to make the sale.

'You want it bagged or pre-rolled joints for an extra twenty?'

'Uhh, I'll take it pre-rolled man.'

'Seventy dollars,' the dealer said fiercely, obviously wanting to see the money before he handed the shit over. Having no idea and not really caring if he was being ripped off, Seth waved the cash in front of his nose. The dealer snatched the notes from Seth before shoving a small bag of six or seven neatly rolled joints into his hand and walking off. Seth staggered back over to Summer and grinned at her while waving the bag in front of her.

'You did great baby,' Summer squealed loudly as she threw her arms round his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. 'Now come on, let's find a cab and get this party started.'

Seth hailed a cab and told the driver Summer's address. Summer had already taken the bag of pot and opened it, pulling out a joint. Seth squirmed when he saw what she was doing. 'What the hell are you doing?' he said in a panicky tone, 'this guy could report us to the cops.'

'Relax Cohen, he's a foreign cab driver in L.A, he doesn't give a fuck. Hell, we could probably offer him some and he'd take it.' With that, Summer pulled out the lighter, lit the joint and took a long drag. 'Oh yeah baby, I've missed you,' she said with a relaxed grin. 'You've never done this before have you?' Seth just shook his head embarrassedly. 'Oh I remember my first time, prepare to get your mind blown.' With that, she handed Seth the joint and watched in satisfaction as he took a deep puff. 'Good huh?' she said with a grin. Seth just nodded and exhaled the smoke with a small cough before passing it back to Summer.

In the hour that it took to get back to Newport, the two teens went through five of the seven joints all while the Polish cabbie smirked at the sight of them through the mirror. By the time they got back at one in the morning, both of them were heavily stoned as well as drunk and were giggling furiously at funny shaped trees and buildings through the window. When they staggered out the taxi outside Summer's house, Seth tossed the fare at the driver along with the two remaining joints as a tip, something he seemed very grateful for. They were both feeling very horny and although the date had been magical, they both knew that the real fun was about to begin.

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BANG!

The loud sound was made by Seth crashing Summer against the foyer wall. She had her legs locked round his waist and was licking his face all over. Both were dizzy, giggly and sweating profusely from the large amount of mind altering substances in their bodies. They kicked off their shoes and Seth threw his jacket on the floor before Summer ripped off his shirt, making half the buttons pop off in the process. He reached down and whipped her dress over her head in one smooth motion, leaving her in just her underwear. Summer shrieked with laughter while pushing him towards the couch. She pushed him onto it and Seth immediately began desperately trying to wriggle out of his pants. When they were off, they just stared at each other longingly for a few seconds before Summer threw herself on top of him.

'Thank you for one of the best nights of my life Cohen,' she mumbled while tracing kisses up from his stomach, across his chest to his neck. 'How can I ever repay you,' she added seductively while grinning and lightly nibbling on his lower lip.

'Oh I can think of a few ways,' he replied hazily with a dizzy smirk before flipping her over and drunkenly tickling her, causing them both to howl with laughter. As he grew more serious and caught her in a passionate, loving kiss, Seth thought back to the events of the night. He was drunk, stoned and very much in love and the night had undoubtedly been one of the best of his life. He didn't know if he'd be able to because of all the shit in his system, but he was going to try with all his might to burn the events of the last six hours into his memory permanently, simply because as far as he was concerned, it was most definitely a night to remember.

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**A/N - PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!!**


	15. A part of something

**Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C**

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'When am I gonna meet your parents?'

'Summer, you've met my parents like a hundred times at all them crappy newpsie parties.'

'Yeah I've been introduced to them and introduced myself but I don't really know them. Cohen I wanna meet them,' she whined, 'they seem like really nice people.'

'Well trust me they're not. Well they are, they're just a bit embarrassing.' The two teens were cuddled together on Summer's bed, not in a sexual way, just a loving, need to be close kind of way. They were laid on their sides staring deeply into each others eyes, Seth stroking her beautiful raven hair.

'I don't care if they embarrass you, I'm gonna have to meet them at some point. Besides, I'd rather have embarrassing parents than parents who aren't around long enough to be embarrassing,' Summer replied sulkily, a large trace of jealousy in her tone. Seth softened at the sight of her. It was one of the rare moments where cracks appeared in her guard and he could see traces of the vulnerable, lonely girl that he knew she really was.

'I'm sorry Summer,' he said gently. 'I know it must be hard for you, being all alone here all the time but like I've said before, you're more than welcome to stay over at my house anytime you like.'

'Well in order to be able to stay over I need to meet your parents first, you know, show them I'm trustworthy and stuff.'

'Summer they know you're a good person. You really don't need to prove anything to them. Trust me, they'll like you just as much as I do, which in case you didn't know is a hell of a lot,' he said with a grin as he leant forward to give her a gentle kiss. 'But like I said, they're an embarrassment so there's no way in hell you're meeting them yet. I'll kill them and bury them under the driveway if that's what it takes to stop them from getting anywhere near you.'

'Cohen,' Summer said sharply with closed eyes, starting to get annoyed. 'We can do this one of two ways. Either you invite me over to your house to meet your parents, or I burst through the front door and kick your ass in front of them. Now what's it gonna be?'

'Fine,' Seth replied with a defeated sigh, knowing she probably wasn't joking. 'We've got our stupid family dinner tomorrow, do you wanna come to that.'

'No I just wanna meet them, I don't wanna intrude on family time.'

'Well it's called a family dinner but it's more like family and close friends. Marissa comes nearly every week now and I've asked Laura a few times.'

'You've been asking Laura instead of me,' Summer spat venomously, nostrils flaring in rage.

'Of course not,' Seth replied reassuringly, 'not since we've been together.'

'Oh, sorry,' she said sheepishly, humiliated at her little outburst. 'Sure I'd love to come Cohen, what should I wear?'

'Summer its fine,' he replied, chuckles slightly, 'its a casual dinner that we have every week so wear whatever you feel most comfortable in. Honestly, you really don't have to go to any effort.'

'I know but I really want them to like me. They probably know I treated you like shit until I got to know you,' she said sadly. The huge amount of guilt and remorse she felt whenever she thought back to the time she'd followed everyone else in thinking he was worthless would probably never fully go away. Seth obviously sensed the mood shift as he began to comfortingly stroke the back of her neck.

'Summer, they already like you,' he said reassuringly, 'and you never treated me like shit. You uhh, you didn't treat me any way at all, you just totally ignored me,' he mumbled, no longer looking at her. What had started out as an obvious effort to make her feel better, had only succeeded in making Summer feel even worse. She wanted to burst into tears at his words but knew that wouldn't make him feel any better so she held them in.

'Seth I'm so sorry. Believe me, I wish I'd made the effort to get to know you years ago. Us being together has made me the happiest I've been since my mother left and knowing that it could've happened a long time ago if I wasn't such a bitch absolutely kills me inside,' she whispered softly, twirling the curls on his neck. 'Besides, I hope you know you're unignorable to me now.' Seth gave a small smile at her words. 'Admittedly it's because you never freaking shut up,' she added teasingly, causing his smirk to grow bigger, 'but that's not the point. Even if you were a mute like Chino, I'd still think about you every minute of the day. You're just too damn cute to ignore now,' she added with a grin before pressing her lips against his for a loving kiss, no tongue, it wasn't needed to make it passionate.

When they pulled back Seth said, 'you really think about me every minute of the day?' with a smug grin. Summer blushed and nodded.

'I think about the way you just don't know when to shut the hell up, the way you smell so bad first thing in the morning, the way you probably couldn't beat up an eight year old, the way you-'

'Okay okay just stop, I get it,' Seth cut in, trying to sound hurt but he still had a grin on his face. 'Just so you know, I think about you all the time too,' he mumbled embarrassedly. 'I have done since I was like ten.'

'Wow Cohen, that's really……………..uhh…………..creepy,' she finished with a giggle causing him to glare at her. 'It's really creepy but also really sweet,' she added with a smile.

'Well that statement makes complete sense,' Seth replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

'Shut up Cohen and kiss me,' Summer said amusedly.

'Yes Mrs Roberts,' he replied in a preschool voice causing her to giggle before rolling on top of her and connecting lips with hers in a fiery embrace.

'What day is it?' Summer said stupidly when they pulled apart.

'It's Saturday Summer,' Seth replied slowly as if she was a retard, 'hence the reason we're not at school.'

'God, has it really been two whole weeks since that date, it only seems like yesterday. That was so much fun,' she said dreamily, remembering back to that awesome night.

'I know,' he replied with a grin, 'do you wanna do it again sometime? I mean it'd have to be a little less extravagant because I spent four months worth of allowance on the last one, but I still think we could have a pretty good time.' Summer just grinned and nodded before getting off the bed and pulling him up. 'Hey you don't mind if I invite Laura to this dinner tomorrow as well do you? I just feel like she's been avoiding me since she found out I know she's gay and I wanna talk to her about it,' he said as he was being dragged downstairs by Summer. She just shook her head and frowned.

'I know what you mean Cohen, she hasn't said more than two words to me in the last fortnight, I think she hates me for telling you,' she said with a sad sigh.

'I'm sure she doesn't hate you. Don't worry, I'll have a chat with her and tell her that I forced it out of you. I don't see what her problem is anyway.'

'Well if you hadn't started drooling over her like she's the hottest thing in the world she'd never have found out that you knew,' Summer said angrily, a large hint of envy in her voice.

'Well I'm sorry that I find the fact that one of my caliente friends likes other girls to be kinda hot,' he said with an innocent grin. 'You know, Christmas is pretty soon and the best present you could possibly give me would be to have sex with her and let me watch.'

'EWWWW!'

'What? Think about it, it's actually a pretty practical idea. I mean it'd be a joint present, you wouldn't have to spend any of your allowance and who knows, you may actually enjoy it.'

'NOT happening Cohen,' Summer replied in a "that's final" tone while shooting an angry glare in his direction.

'Fine,' he replied sulkily as if he'd honestly believed he had a chance of getting her to agree. 'Anyway, where the hell are you dragging me woman?'

'To the kitchen, I'm hungry.'

'Oh I should've known, all you ever do is eat.'

'COHEN!!'

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'Dad I'm warning you, if you even attempt to break into a rendition of Greased Lightnin I swear to God I'll personally force-feed you a three course meal of moms cooking. And mom, one embarrassing story from my childhood and I'll hide your briefcase, we all know you're a freak and would probably pass out from lack of work. Summer's gonna be here in five minutes so I'm begging you both, for one night can you just act like normal human beings.'

'Well it's not gonna be easy but we'll do our best son,' Sandy replied with a smirk. 'Isn't Laura coming over too?'

'Yeah but there's no point in trying to convince you to act normal around her, she already knows you're a pair of total tards.'

'Well I'm so glad that you finally decided to invite Summer over. How long have you been together now?' Kirsten asked with a grin on her face. Nothing in the world made her happier than seeing her son as happy as he'd been in the last few weeks.

'Three weeks. We're still getting to know each other and I don't think we're quite at the naked baby pictures stage yet, so if you could control yourself on that front mom it'd be greatly appreciated.' The doorbell went and Seth rocketed off his stool. 'Okay positions people, come on lets go,' he loudly, clapping his hands together as if he was a gym teacher. 'It's Showtime, and if you could remember to do just one thing tonight, for God's sake please don't be yourselves.' Seth turned and strutted towards the door leaving his parents standing in the kitchen.

'He just doesn't get it does he. The more he tries to dissuade from embarrassing him, the more determined we become,' Sandy said with a smirk.

'I know. I've already got out some of my photo albums, they're ready and waiting on our bed,' Kirsten replied with a mischievous grin.

'And I've already dug through my collection and found the Grease sing-along DVD. This is gonna be a lot of fun.'

'Hey, look who I found at the door,' Seth said in a singsong voice as him came back in the kitchen behind Summer, hands rested on her shoulders.

'Well, if it isn't Summer Roberts. Long time no see, how you doing kid,' Sandy boomed with a big, welcoming smile.

'Hi Mr Cohen,' Summer replied brightly, 'I'm great thanks, how are you.'

'Never better and please, call me Sandy.'

'Sorry Mr Cohen I can't,' she replied with a giggle. 'My dad told me never to call adults by their first name, even if they ask me to.'

'Oh okay. Well how about Mr C then, it's a lot less formal.'

Summer thought about it for a second before saying, 'yeah I can work with that, Mr C it is then. Hi Mrs Cohen.'

'Hi Summer, it's good to see you.' Kirsten surprised Summer by pulling her in for a hug, 'and Mrs C or Kirsten will do fine for me too. We were wondering when you were gonna come over.'

'Well I would've come sooner but someone didn't want me to,' she replied while sending a dirty look in Seth's direction, 'I think he's embarrassed of me or something,' she added.

'Honey trust me, it's not you it's us. He thinks we're the world's most embarrassing parents,' she said, sending her own glare in his direction to which he replied with a roll of his eyes.

'Well either way he's an assface.'

'Couldn't agree more Summer, couldn't agree more,' Sandy said with a smirk causing Summer to giggle and Seth to give a sulky pout. The doorbell rang.

'I'm gonna go get that, leave you three to insult me the way it should be done, behind my back.'

'Okay, thanks assface,' Sandy called after him, causing him to turn round and glare.

'Hey Laura,' he said brightly as he opened the door to reveal his caliente friend.

'Hey,' was all he got in mumbled reply.

'So how are you today?' he asked cheerfully as he closed the door behind her and took her coat.

'Fine,' was all she said.

'Good, and what about yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. In fact, how've you been for the last two weeks seeing as you never talk to me anymore?' he said, still trying to sound cheery but an obvious icy undertone had appeared.

'Look Seth I'm sorry okay, I just wasn't ready for your comments but I'm here now so come on, let me have it, tell me what you really think of me now you know I'm a raging homo,' she said fiercely. Seth just stared at her open mouthed.

'Is that what you really think of me,' he finally blurted out angrily, 'that just because I find out you're gay I'm gonna start to hate you. Umm newsflash Laura, I already knew you were poor and Mexican, and in Newport I'm sure that'd be more than enough to hate you if I were like everybody else. Joint with Ryan you're like my best friend you know that. I love you like a sister and the fact that you're a "raging homo" as you put it isn't gonna change that. If you ever thought it would then you really don't know me at all.'

'Well can you blame me Seth,' Laura cried, tears forming in her eyes. 'You're my best friend too and a really great guy but you knew how fucked up my situation was already. I just thought that if you knew I was gay as well, it'd be like the final straw or something. You'd be all like "that's it, you're life's a fucking mess and I don't wanna hang around with you anymore" and I really didn't wanna lose your friendship.'

'Hey, you could get a freaking sex change, change your name to Larry and become a truck driver and you'd still be my best friend,' Seth said softly as he wrapped his arms round her. 'You just be whoever you want to be and I'll support you, and so will your family when you tell them.' Laura just nodded into his shoulder to show she'd heard. They stood in peaceful silence for a few minutes before Seth said, 'and for the record, I forced it outta Summer and now she thinks you hate her, so I'd appreciate it if you could tell her you don't.'

'Okay. Sorry for being such a bitch the last few weeks, I just-' she was cut off by roars of laughter from the kitchen.

'Shit, that can't be good,' Seth said, putting his face in his hands. 'Come on, let's go see what the hell they've told her.'

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'No I've got an even better one,' Kirsten said through her howls. They were sat in the living room, Kirsten trapped between Summer and Laura on the couch, Sandy on his favourite armchair and Seth on the floor between Summer's legs, looking as red as a beetroot. Ryan and Marissa had retreated to the poolhouse almost immediately after dinner, most likely for a fuckfest. 'Okay, a few years ago we had a dinner party and Seth here somehow managed to get hold of a bottle of wine. Being only fourteen it only took about a third of the bottle to make him pass out on the study room floor. Now, when he walks out of his room in the middle of the night for a pee, he can do it with his eyes closed because it's the next door on the left. Unfortunately for us, the next left from our study room is the coat closet, oh yeah, I'm sure you know where this is going. He woke up drunk, believing he was in his room, and instinctively went left thinking he was going to the loo. He peed all over our guest's expensive mink coats.'

The three females began to howl with laughter and Sandy gave an amused smirk while Seth went a crimson colour. 'You promised you wouldn't do this,' he mumbled.

'Oh lighten up Seth,' Summer said though her laughter, leaning forward and wrapping her arms round his neck, placing a kiss on his red cheek, 'it's just a bit of fun.' Seth grinned at his girlfriend. Despite them being embarrassing assholes, he couldn't be mad at his parents when they were making that gorgeous happy glow spread all over her face.

'Ooh wait here, I've got something to show you girls,' Kirsten said animatedly, jumping up and running from the room. Seth got up and plopped himself down in his mom's seat.

Now can you see why I didn't want you to meet them,' he said to Summer in an exasperated voice.

'Well I happen to be having a great time Cohen, thank you for inviting me over,' she replied, leaning forward and placing a lingering peck on his lips. When the kiss began to last a little longer than necessary, Laura rolled her eyes and spoke up.

'Okay guys that's enough, not so close to me please,' she said while exchanging an amused grin with Sandy. The two teens pulled apart and smiled shyly in response.

'Trust me son, what's gone on so far is nothing compared to what's about to happen,' Sandy said amusedly. Seth's face paled considerably at his father's words.

'Oh God. Dad, please tell me she hasn't gone to fetch-'

'PICTURES,' Kirsten squealed excitedly as she re-entered the room holding a thick leather photo album. Everybody else laughed at the look of sheer horror on Seth's face. 'Move Seth,' she added firmly when she walked over to the couch.

'Come on Cohen,' Summer said, getting off her cushion and patting the space. Seth slid to his right into the space before she collapsed onto his lap. His arms automatically snaked round her waist and pulled her as close as possible before he intertwined fingers with her.

'Now, let's start with his bar mitzvah and work our way backwards shall we. Here he is at the ceremony.' Summer squealed when Kirsten handed her the picture.

'Oh my God Cohen, how the hell did I not notice you back then, you were even cuter than you are now.' Seth just blushed embarrassedly. 'Love the braces by the way. Why'd you get rid of them, they'd look so sexy on you now,' she added teasingly. She passed the picture back to Kirsten who then handed it over to Laura. She began to snigger instantly to which Seth replied with a glare.

'Here he is at Camp Takaho aged ten.' The three girls continued to laugh and excitedly squeal their way through an entire album and the further they went, the more Seth got into it. By the time they got to the second last page, all embarrassment was forgotten and he was having a riot along with them. 'Here we are, this is officially the cutest picture ever,' Kirsten said mischievously. Seth's face paled at her words.

'No mom,' he said desperately, 'don't you dare, not that picture. PLEASE.' She just grinned mercilessly at him before passing the picture to Summer who flipped it over. It was a picture of him at about three years old. He was stood in front of the poolhouse door with a big grin on his face, showing cute little dimples and rosy red cheeks. Apart from a pair of slippers and a brightly coloured woolly bobble hat, he was completely butt naked.

Summer immediately burst into shrieks of uncontrollable laughter. She was bright red and gasping for air as she handed the picture back to Kirsten. She in turn handed it over to Laura who reacted in the exact same way. When she'd calmed down, Summer managed to gasp out, 'OH MY GOD, that really is the cutest picture ever, please tell me I can get a copy of that.' Seth shook his head forcefully at his mom from behind his girlfriend, so naturally Kirsten smirked mischievously and gave her a nod in reply.

'Aww look at his ickle teeny weenie,' Laura said through her giggles as she was still holding the picture, causing Seth to go a violent red colour and glare intensely at her. 'I bet he hasn't got any bigger has he Summer,' she added teasingly. Summer just burst into a fresh round of giggles and shook her head playfully, an action that made Seth pout sulkily.

'Actually you'd be surprised,' she added sweetly when she saw his face, forgetting for a second that his parents were in the room.

'Okay that's enough,' Kirsten cut in forcefully, although she still had an amused smirk on her face. 'I really don't wanna hear about that, he's still my little baby after all.' Summer smiled sheepishly in reply. She knew she'd pretty much confirmed to Kirsten that her son was no longer an innocent little boy and that it was entirely her fault, she just hoped to God that she wouldn't resent her for it.

'Okay, who likes karaoke?' Sandy said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically.

'No Dad, no way,' Seth said forcefully. 'We're not spending the rest of the night listening to- oh no, what're you doing? Oh crap, you've got the DVD ready I see.' Sandy smirked giddily at him when he'd finished putting in the disc and microphone. 'Damn I know that look,' Seth added ruefully, 'ladies, prepare to be Greased up.' The two girls giggled at his words.

'Okay Seth, that doesn't sound weird or dirty in the slightest,' Laura said sarcastically through her chuckles.

'Believe me Laura, any weird and dirty scenario would be much more bearable than what we're about to go through.'

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After a horrible forty five minute performance of the entire Grease soundtrack by his father, Seth had turned on the PS2 and was happily slashing peoples guts open on Dead or Alive. Laura had gone home, Sandy had retreated to his study and Summer, not wanting to sit and watch Seth, had insisted on helping Kirsten with the dishes. They were stood in comfortable silence, Kirsten washing and her drying, when she decided to speak up.

'Hey uhh, you're not mad at me are you?' she said cautiously, causing Kirsten to give her a quizzical look. 'You've probably figured out that me and Seth…………….uhh, we've been together………………umm, you know, physically, and I just wanna say that if that upsets you then I'm really sorry,' she stammered. Kirsten gave her a warm smile.

'Of course I'm not mad. I liked a guy when I was your age and I was doing exactly the same, so if I did get upset I'd be nothing but a big hypocrite. As long as you're safe and responsible I'm totally fine with it.' Summer let out a huge sigh of relief at her words. 'Can I ask you a question, you uhh, you were his first right?' Summer blushed furiously and nodded. 'Good, if he's gonna be doing……………….that, I'd rather he did it with someone he cares about than with some random girl at a party.'

'I know you probably thought I was a huge slut,' Summer mumbled, 'but he uhh, he was actually my first too. I-I…………..I'd kinda been saving myself for someone I had real feelings for.'

'Aww that's really sweet,' Kirsten replied with a big smile on her face, 'and I never thought you were a slut Summer.' The brunette just arched an eyebrow sceptically in reply. 'Okay, you didn't exactly strike me as a virgin but a slut, definitely not. Anyway, when did you actually start to like Seth?'

'Although I denied it for months, I guess it was right after the attack. Instead of seeing a weird, geeky loser like I had been, I began to see him as this really smart, funny, caring and not to mention cute guy. It's funny how it took nearly getting raped for me to wake up and realise what I really wanted.'

'What d'you mean?'

'Well I suppose you know that I'm really popular whereas Seth, being as dorky and unconfident as he is, can count his friends on one hand.'

'Hmm I figured as much.'

'Yeah well, all I used to be interested in was going to parties, getting wasted and spreading rumours about other people. But after the incident I began to realize that wasn't what I really wanted. I realized that none of the popular crowd really care about me, that they'd just as happily spread rumours and gossip about me as they do about everybody else. I realized that all I really wanted, was to focus my attention on and spend my time with someone who genuinely cared about me, and although I don't know why, I knew that Seth really did. And as much as I didn't want to because we're at like opposite ends of Harbor's social ladder, I'd really begun to care about him too. I admit, I used to be one of those who denied his existence, and on the rare occasions I did notice him I really didn't like him.

'Why?'

'I used to act like it was because he's unpopular but that was just a front for the popular crowd, I'm really not that shallow. No the real reason I disliked him so much was because he seemed to have everything I've ever wanted.'

'What?' Kirsten asked, genuinely curious.

'The perfect family,' Summer mumbled shyly in reply. 'I mean he's got you and Sandy for parents, you're like the nicest people I've ever met. Then he's got Ryan, a brother that he could talk to about anything and would probably take a bullet for him. Then there's me. I mean my mom just upped and left and all I've got now is a permanently absent, workaholic father and a pill-popping step mom who even when she's physically there, mentally she isn't.'

'Well Seth really does care about you a hell of a lot, and anybody that matters to him, matters to us. Like Marissa and Laura, you're like a member of the family now and if you ever need anything, ANYTHING, advice, to talk, whatever, don't hesitate to come to me or Sandy.'

'Thanks Kirsten,' Summer said quietly, gratefully accepting the blonde's hug and trying with all her might to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall.

'No problem sweetie and hey, you called me Kirsten,' she replied happily.

'Ah screw it, my dad ain't here, he never is.'

'Well like I said, if you ever need an adult perspective on things, please come to me or Sandy. Now go on, go find Seth, thanks for your help with the dishes sweetie.' Summer gave Kirsten one final big grin before setting off in search of her boyfriend.

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'Hey, what ya up to,' Summer said as she skipped into Seth's room.

'Nothing,' he replied very quickly, instantly making her suspicious.

'Uh huh, nothing, yeah right. So should I be mad or just plain grossed out, come on Cohen tell me.' She plopped herself down on his bed next to him and felt her butt land on something hard. 'Hey what's this?' she said curiously as she pulled out a large black book from under the covers.

'Oh it's nothing,' Seth replied nonchalantly as he tried to take it off her. Unfortunately for him she was way stronger and tugged it away from his grasp before opening it.

'Oh my God Cohen these are amazing,' she whispered softly in total amazement, 'is this me?'

'No, its Little Miss Vixen,' he mumbled, 'she's uhh, she's a comic book character I created………………..based on you,' he whispered, looking away to stop her from seeing the violent shade of red he'd turned.

'Do you do this a lot,' she asked curiously, a massive smile on her face. He nodded shyly in reply.

'It's like the only thing I'm good at so I draw all the people I care about, take a look.' She flicked through the pages. 'That's Kid Chino with his fists of fury.'

'Obviously Ryan.'

'Uh huh. That's Cosmo Girl with her magic hipflask.'

'Marissa and her alcohol reliance problems,' Summer said with an amused smirk.

'Yep. That's The Dark Avenger with her wrench of death.'

'I'm guessing Laura and a reference to her obsession with cars.'

'Correct. Uhh, this is The Defender of Justice with his razor sharp bagel cutter and Goldie McWasp with her briefcase shield.'

'Ha ha, your parents of course.'

'Of course, and finally, the root of all evil, The Demon Water Polo Player.'

'Luke Ward? That guy is such an asshole.'

'Not really, more like every jock in the school because they're all assholes as far as I'm concerned.'

'So true. So where are you in this epic line-up of heroes?'

'Oh I'm right here. The Ironist, his special power is quick quips and pop culture laden bromides.'

'The Ironist eh, that's pretty ironic.'

'Well I'm only good at three things. Drawing, sarcasm and irony.'

'Hey you're forgetting one thing off that list.'

'What?'

'Making me happy,' she said with a massive grin before leaning forward and capturing him in a fiery kiss.

'God Summer you are so cheesy,' he replied with a huge smile when they pulled apart.

'Hey that's my line, you're normally the cheesy one and I think it's starting to rub off on me.' They smiled shyly at eachother for a few seconds before she said, 'I better get going.'

'Okay, I'll see you out.'

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'Bye guys, thanks for having me over.'

'No problem Summer, we expect to see you round here a lot more often from now on,' Sandy replied cheerfully. He and Kirsten were snuggled up together on the sofa and Summer thought they looked incredibly cute.

'Okay, see you soon.' She then turned to Seth and went to plant a big goodbye kiss on his lips but he put a finger on hers to stop her.

'I think we better do this outside,' he whispered while motioning over his shoulder with his eyes. Summer looked over to see an amused looking Sandy and Kirsten staring at them. She just gave a shy smile and a wave which they returned before Seth pushed her out the front door. When they were outside, he snaked his arms round Summer's waist and pulled her close while she instinctively curled hers round his neck. They stood in peaceful silence for a few minutes, occasionally bringing their faces together for a passionate kiss.

'Thank you,' Summer finally said softy, 'you know, for inviting me over. I had a lot of fun.'

'Well it was horrible for me but as long as you enjoyed it that's all that matters.' Summer smiled at the sweetness of his words. She didn't know how he did it but he always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her heart melt.

'Well hey, at least we're not confined to my house anymore, I can come round here.'

'Yeah and I'm sure they'll let you stay over. They'd probably put you in the guestroom but I can sneak in, I'm incredibly stealth like that.'

'Yeah I bet you are,' Summer said with an amused smirk.

'I am, I was Camp Takaho capture the flag and hide and seek champion 1996. In fact, I believe Joel Gordon is still looking for me' he said proudly. Summer giggled at his dorkyness. She reached up and gave him another lingering kiss.

'Right I best get going,' she sighed when she pulled back. She pushed her face into his neck and breathed in his scent one more time. 'I'll see you tomorrow Cohen.' Seth just smiled and gave a cute wave as she began to walk away. When she began to pull out the driveway she saw him blow her a kiss before he disappeared into his house.

Summer sighed happily as she sped towards her own house. She'd had a really great night. Now not only was she in love with Seth, she was in love with his picture perfect family too. All her jealousy of him had evaporated too as soon as Kirsten had said that one little line she'd always dreamt of hearing.

'……_you're like a member of the family now and if you ever need anything, ANYTHING, advice, to talk, whatever, don't hesitate to come to me……'_

Not since her mother left had she felt so connected to an adult. It amazed her that in the space of four months she'd gone from feeling alone and unwanted to feeling safe and loved. She loved the fact that her life finally seemed to be getting on the right track, all thanks to Seth of course. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without him anymore and if that wasn't love she didn't know what was.

Yes, she'd gone so long without it that as far as Summer was concerned there was nothing better than feeling like you're a part of something, and the Cohen family was definitely an awesome thing to feel part of.

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**A/N –Please leave a review.**


	16. What's her game?

**A/N – Thanks for the awesome reviews folks. Here's the next chapter. Read, enjoy and please review.**

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'Sir can I be excused to go to the bathroom please.'

'Make it quick Cohen,' the teacher replied with an annoyed sigh. Seth just got up and gave him a thankful smile before rushing out the door. He didn't really need the toilet, he and Summer had just agreed to meet up in a secluded corner of the nearby library at ten thirty for a quick makeout session.

Seth decided to make a quick stop at his locker on the way and get a spray of deodorant as he had had gym first period but had been unable to take a shower afterwards, for fear of being either a) beaten, or b) gang raped by the jocks. Although they'd never admit it, he knew there were quite a few of them that would prefer the second option. He had a sneaking suspicion that the ones that called him queer the most were the ones that were confused about their own sexuality.

'Hey Seth.' He spun round quickly as he heard an unfamiliar voice say his name.

'Uhh hi.'

'Oh right you don't know me do you. I'm-'

'Casey Fielding right. I know who you are, I just don't know why you're talking to me.' Seth had seen her around before and while she wasn't hugely popular, she was definitely too cool to be seen talking to the likes of him. He also couldn't deny that she was incredibly attractive. She had shoulder length straight dark hair, a small but curvy figure and electric blue eyes that lit up her whole face. In some ways she reminded him of another gorgeous little brunette that he knew, only difference was he happened to be head over heels in love with that other girl, while he saw the one before him as just another average Harbor chick.

'Well, I've seen you around and I liked what I saw so I want to get to know you,' she replied sweetly with a pearly white smile, inching forward slightly and resting a hand on his forearm. If it had been Summer doing that action it would've sent shivers down his spine and sparks in every direction, but with her Seth felt nothing but discomfort. He didn't know how to react, he had never been in this type of situation before, a girl openly showing interest in him.

'Okaaaaay, well I'm not really in the market for new friends right now, sorry.' He tried to walk off but was stopped by a firm grip on his forearm. She dragged him back, pushed him against his locker and pressed her crotch against his.

'What about more than friends,' she whispered suggestively, causing his eyes to almost double in size.

'Oh, I uhh……………….I-I'm really flattered but I can't,' he stammered before gently pushing her away.

'Why? Have you already got a girlfriend?'

'Uhh no, I just-'

'Are you gay then?'

'What, no but I really-'

'So you just don't find me attractive then,' she said despondently, looking down at the floor.

Seth softened at the sight. He didn't know this girl and he didn't really trust her considering she had never so much as batted an eyelid at him before, but while he wasn't interested in getting to know her in the slightest he definitely didn't want to upset her either, he just wasn't that type of guy. 'No of course I do, you're very pretty. I…………………I just really haven't got time for this, I uhh, I gotta go do something, see ya around Casey.' He tried to leave but was once again pulled back.

'Okay well I'm gonna give you my number and when you do find time you better call me, got it,' she said brightly while pushing her body up against his and slipping a piece of paper in his shirt pocket.

'Umm okay.' Normally Seth would've never agreed but he was very uncomfortable with the situation and just wanted a way out. Plus there was the fact that he was now late for Summer and he knew how she really didn't like to be kept waiting. He knew that if he didn't get to the library soon she would probably start contemplating the best way to cook his balls, grilled, boiled or deep fat fried.

'Okay, bye Seth. Remember, call me,' she said sweetly before turning to leave. As she walked away she left a hand on his forearm and trailed it all the way down to his fingertips. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a sexy grin. He smiled uncomfortably in return, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. When she had rounded the corner he turned on his heel and began to jog in the direction of the library.

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Summer walked quickly towards the library. She didn't know how but just the thought that soon she would be pressing her lips against Seth's always seemed to send her giddy with excitement and happiness. She rounded a corner but quickly threw herself back round it at the horrifying sight that she saw.

Seth Cohen, **HER** boyfriend, with Casey "skankface" Fielding pushing her dirty body up against him. Summer rested her head against the wall and began to hyperventilate. Seth wouldn't do that to her, would he? No of course not, even though they hadn't told each other, she was pretty sure that they were both in love, not just her. She decided that it would be best to listen to the conversation and see where it led instead of jumping to conclusions.

'_Oh, I uhh……………….I-I'm really flattered but I can't.'_

'_Why? Have you already got a girlfriend?'_

'_Uhh no, I just-'_

'_Are you gay then?'_

'_What, no but I really-'_

'_So you just don't find me attractive then.'_

'_No of course I do, you're very pretty.' I…………………I just really haven't got time for this, I uhh, I gotta go do something, see ya around Casey.'_

'_Okay well I'm gonna give you my number and when you do find time you better call me, got it.'_

'_Umm okay.'_

Summer popped her head round the corner to see the slut push her body up against him again and slip a note in his shirt pocket.

'_Okay, bye Seth. Remember, call me.'_

She then saw the bitch use the classic trailing hand move before giving him a flirtatious smile. Summer's face went pale with rage when she saw him return the smile. She then saw him turn and advance in her direction so she ran towards a nearby girl's bathroom.

When she got there she was unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face. She knew that Seth hadn't really done anything wrong, he didn't flirt back but she was so angry that he hadn't just told the skank to fuck off. He had accepted her number, albeit looking very uncomfortable, but that was beside the point because he had also agreed to call her.

Summer knew that he had probably been ambushed and that he'd found the whole situation highly unenjoyable but that didn't make it any less painful to see some whore touching him and him not pushing her away instantly. She knew that he must've been shell-shocked and he just didn't know how to react but that was not the issue, the issue was that he was only supposed to be touched by her and even though he couldn't tell Casey that, he should've found a suitable excuse to stop her. The worst part was that he'd told her she was pretty. _'How the fuck would he feel if he caught me telling some random that I thought he was hot,' _Summer thought to herself.

'_Fuck Cohen, I can't deal with him right now,' _she decided as she tidied herself up in front of the mirror before stomping back to her lesson with a massive scowl on her face.

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'Hey have you guys seen Summer, we were supposed to meet earlier in the library but she never showed up,' Seth said as he slumped onto the couch opposite Ryan and Marissa in the student lounge. 'And it's Wednesday too. We both have free afternoons and always do something together but like I said, she seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.' They both shook their heads in reply.

'Sorry man, haven't seen her, you tried calling her?'

'Yeah she's not picking up, do you think she's okay? Oh my God someone could've abducted her, she could be lying face down in a ditch right now, raped or even worse, dead,' Seth said, starting to panic.

'Whoa Seth, you might wanna take it down a notch or two there,' Marissa said, looking at him as if he was insane. 'I'm sure Summer is just fine. Knowing her she just heard about a sale on Marc Jacobs dresses at South Coast Plaza and believe me, when that happens everything else on her mind is forgotten, she becomes like this wild beast hell-bent on getting a hot new dress on the cheap.'

'Yeah you're probably right,' Seth replied with a worried sigh, 'but even so I'm gonna give her cell another try. See you guys later.' Ryan and Marissa just gave him reassuring smiles as he got up and trudged dejectedly towards the exit, ready to continue his not so fun little game of hunt the girlfriend.

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'_Hey Summer it's me, uhh Seth Cohen. I'm just sat here, wondering where you are. It's Wednesday remember, we always hang out. Unless you're pissed off at me in which case I'm truly sorry for whatever I did. And if you just forgot or something I'm not mad, I'm just worried, really really worried. So if you uhh, if you could give me a call, you know, let me know you're okay, it would be greatly appreciated. I miss you already, okay bye.'_

Despite being pissed off at him, Summer could help but smile at his words. He was just so damn dorky sometimes, in the most adorable possible way of course. She was glad that after seventeen attempts and twelve texts he'd decided to leave a voicemail, she just wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

Summer put her phone away and got up off the bench she had been sat on. She continued walking down the beach, ice-cream in hand, unable to think about anything other than what she'd seen a few hours earlier. She knew she really had no right to be mad at Seth. Whenever they had gone to one of Holly's parties since they had been dating, they'd gone pretending to be just friends and after she had gotten a few drinks down her neck, Summer had always become very flirty with the guys. Seth had just let her do her thing, it was obvious that he trusted her.

It wasn't that she didn't trust him though, it was that skank Casey Fielding. She had been a fierce rival of Summer's throughout the whole of middle school and junior high. They would always go after the same guys, wear the same clothes and sport the same bangs. Summer would always come out on top, getting the guy every time and everybody just said that Casey was just a Summer Roberts wannabe when it came to their similar fashion sense.

This had resulted in her being pushed down the popularity chain and it was for this reason that she loathed Summer with a passion and was always trying to make her life miserable. So far she had never been successful, only coming across as a jealous, bitter little whore but Summer knew that with Seth being a major figure of importance in her life now, the little slut had found a real weapon over her. Summer just couldn't let her get her skanky little claws into him, losing him at all would kill her but losing him to that petty little bitch would be like ten times worse.

Although she trusted him and knew he would never willingly hurt her, Summer was still mad at Seth for the way he had handled the situation. She had run through the scenario in her mind a hundred times and just couldn't understand why the hell he would take her number and agree to call her. Yes he was doing a damn convincing job of acting like he wasn't in a serious relationship with her, exactly what she wanted him to do, but Summer thought that today he'd taken it a step too far. If a hot guy tried to give her his number, she wouldn't exactly say she didn't want it because she was dating Seth Cohen, but she sure as hell wouldn't accept it and agree to call him for Christ's sake. No, she would just politely decline and say she wasn't looking for a relationship at that moment in time.

Summer knew she would have to face him at some point along with the issues that had sprouted from nowhere in the last twelve hours, she just wasn't ready yet. She sighed unhappily as she walked down the beach, thinking how less than a day ago they had been a perfectly happy couple in the perfect relationship. She knew that this wasn't something worth breaking up over, yes they would have to have a serious chat, but she just got a horrible gut feeling that this was going to be the first real test of their bond and that the next stage of their relationship wasn't going to be as perfect, amazing and carefree as it had been so far.

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Summer pulled up to her house at 8pm that night. After the beach she had gone to South Coast Plaza and bought four new dresses, two pairs of shoes, six pieces of jewellery, a professional makeup kit and a new cell phone. She didn't need all that crap, it was just a distraction from Cohen who she was really missing but was still mad at and too stubborn to call. She hopped out the car and locked it, deciding it would be okay to leave all her new junk in there overnight. She walked up her steps to find a little surprise awaiting her.

Seth was laid on her porch swing fast asleep, complete with skateboard on floor, sketchbook on chest and cell phone firmly gripped in hand. He also had a string of drool dripping from his slightly open mouth onto the floor. Summer couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face at the sight of him, it was by far the most adorable thing she had ever seen. In that moment she could really see the innocent little darling in the pictures that Kirsten had shown her at the weekend.

Although he looked so precious, Summer couldn't just leave him there, he would probably freeze to death in just his t-shirt. She unlocked the front door, opened it and slammed it with a loud bang, causing him to bolt upright and look around for the whereabouts of the noise.

'Oh thank God Summer,' he said when his eyes came to rest on her, a huge amount of emotion, primarily relief in his tone. 'Where the hell have you been, I've been going out of my mind with worry,' he added softly as he went to wrap his arms around her. She moved away from his touch.

'Don't Seth,' she said coldly, 'just don't okay.'

'What's wrong?' Seth replied bemusedly, a mixture of both hurt and confusion in his voice. He could tell she was angry or upset, definitely feeling some sort of negative emotion towards him, due to the fact that she had called him Seth. 'Did something happen? Are you okay? God I've been so scared, I asked everybody I knew and they all said they hadn't seen you, and when you didn't answer your phone I seriously thought about calling the police.'

'Yeah I bet you did. That's bullshit Seth. I bet you were far too busy grinding your body up against some random slut to be contemplating calling the police,' Summer said coldly and angrily.

'What are you talking about Summer,' he replied in a genuinely confused tone.

'I'm talking about this you son of a bitch,' she said shrilly, reaching forward and pulling the piece of paper out of his shirt pocket. 'I saw you with her you bastard, how could you do that to me,' she whispered angrily, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

'Summer I promise you that whatever you thought you saw, it wasn't like that. Please just let me explain,' Seth said desperately.

'No Seth, I don't wanna talk to you right now, go home.' She turned to go in the house but felt a firm grip on her forearm. She tried to shrug him off but he was surprisingly strong when he was determined. 'Let go of me Seth,' she said angrily, once again trying to tug her arm free. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and spun her round to face him. 'I said let go of me you asshole,' she shrieked loudly. 'LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO' she cried while writhing to get away and pounding on his chest with her fists, but still he didn't relinquish his firm grip on her. Eventually Summer just gave up, she collapsed limply against his chest and began to cry, letting the emotional distress of the day finally catch up with her.

Seth just gently rocked his girlfriend back and forth in silence for a few minutes, letting her release muffled sobs into his chest as he gently stroked her back. 'Why?' he finally heard her sob against his chest. 'Why did you take her number and agree to call her. I know I'm not perfect, I know I still sometimes flirt with guys but I would never do that to you.'

'I know how bad it must've looked but I swear to you Summer, she ambushed me and I really didn't want to be there, I wanted to be in the library meeting with you. That's why I took her number and agreed to call her, I was really uncomfortable with the whole situation and just saw it as the quickest way to get away from her and get to you. I promise you I didn't want it and I'm sure as hell never going to call her. Here let me prove it to you.' Seth reached down and took the small piece of paper that was still in her hand before ripping it into tiny little shreds.

Summer smiled faintly at his action, at least she could rule out the small possibility that he had ever been interested in calling her. 'You told her she was attractive too though,' she mumbled with a scowl.

'I know and that was stupid, I'm sorry. It's just I…………...I have a real weakness in my personality in the fact that I'm a nice guy. She looked upset and even though I don't know her, I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I know that's lame and I'm working on it but I promise you, it meant nothing. I just didn't want to upset her.' Summer just nodded to show she had heard him. She knew he was telling the truth, he was a nice guy and she certainly didn't see it as a weakness, it was one of the reasons she had fallen for him so hard in the first place, it made him stand out among all the other asshole guys in Harbor.

'Do you though, you know, think she's pretty?'

'Summer,' Seth said desperately.

'Do you think she's pretty,' she repeated fiercely.

'Yes okay, yes I do,' he replied frustratedly, 'but so what. Am I not allowed to be attracted to other girls now I'm with you? So what if I think she's pretty, Summer you're the most breathtakingly beautiful person I've ever seen in my life and probably ever will, she's absolutely nothing compared to you.' Summer smiled at his words.

'I'm Sorry Cohen. Maybe I overreacted a bit, I just-'

'Hold on, do you not trust me? Oh my God I can't believe you,' Seth said angrily. 'I go to parties and have to just stand there and watch you flirt with other guys but it doesn't really bother me, you know why?' Summer just weakly shook her head while wiping the tears from her eyes. 'Because I trust you Sum, more than anyone. I have faith that even though you love their attention, you won't be leaving with any of those guys at the end of the night, you'll be coming home with **me** and snuggling up to **me**. And now it comes out that you don't trust me, you've got a lot of nerve.'

'No Cohen I do trust you,' Summer replied desperately, tears threatening to fall again, 'it's that bitch I don't trust. She's had like a personal vendetta against me for years and I just know she's trying to make me miserable by using you, she's evil like that.'

'Well don't let her then. Whatever game she's playing just ignore it.'

'It's not that easy Seth, trust me she's not gonna stop until she's come between us.'

'And if that is her intention then she's not gonna find it too difficult with you making a big fucking deal out of nothing,' he replied loudly, starting to get frustrated again. 'Look Summer, just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. Don't tell me to be horrible to her because I just can't do that, I'm not that type of guy, but anything else I'd be more than happy to do it to show you that you've got nothing to worry about.'

'I don't know, just be nice but a bit more forceful if she tries anything again,' Summer mumbled, not looking at him and unconsciously rubbing her arm, a sign that Seth knew meant she was really uncomfortable with the situation.

'You got it. Sooooo, are we okay.' Summer just gave a small nod in reply before silence engulfed them. It was not a peaceful, relaxed silence like it normally was between them, it was more of a restless, uncomfortable silence. It was the first time that they had ever felt a weird, awkward tension and neither of them liked it at all.

'Do you wanna come in and I dunno, watch a movie or somethin,' Summer finally said quietly, not looking at him. Seth just nodded in reply before gathering his things and following her into the house. They both knew that every couple has fights no matter how perfect, and this was just their first experience of that, that it was nothing but a minor hitch in their relationship. They knew they were going to be totally fine, probably as soon as the next day but even so, Summer had a sneaking suspicion that they hadn't seen the last of Casey Fielding. Summer didn't know what the hell her game was but she didn't like it at all and it was the first time that she had ever felt threatened and intimidated by her.

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'Hey it's Case.'

'Oh hey, what's goin on?'

'I made a move today, started phase one. I ambushed him in the halls, little bit of flirting, gave him my number, nothing too big.'

'How did he react.'

'He was shit scared. I don't think the geek has ever been hit on before. He was all stuttering and not knowing what to do, it would've been kinda cute if I didn't find him totally fucking pathetic. He really didn't look too comfortable taking my number, if I didn't know any better I'd say he was already taken. I asked him and he said he was single but if you ask me I think they're together and she's told him to keep it a secret.'

'What's the next phase?'

'Oh you know, just keep buggin him to call me, maybe ask him out on a date. It may take me a while but I swear I'm gonna turn him against her. She better care about him as much as you say she does because if I'm tryin to get with that loser for nothin I'll make you pay bitch.'

'Chill out girl I'm telling you, if you can pull this off you will hurt her like hell, of that I've got no doubt. Anyways I gotta go, remember to keep me updated and if you need any help just gimme a call.'

'Will do, see ya around Holl.'

'Bye Case.'

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**A/N – There you go folks. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.**


	17. Confrontations

**A/N – Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy and please leave a review.**

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'No way Summer, no way in hell.'

'Come on Cohen it's like the best movie ever.'

'No, I……………….no, just no.'

'Why not?'

'I don't have to justify myself, all I have to say is no and that's final.'

'That's fine Cohen but I hope you know that if the word yes doesn't come out of your mouth in the next two seconds, you will never and I mean NEVER have sex with me again, got it?'

'YES. YES YES YES. Quick put it in, it's like the best movie ever.'

'I know,' Summer said with a triumphant grin on her face. She got off his bed and popped the disc in before climbing back on and snuggling up against him, intertwining her fingers with his.

'God why did I agree to this? I mean "When Harry Met Sally". Come on Summer, this is like-'

'The greatest, cutest, funniest love story ever told,' she interjected forcefully. 'Besides it kinda reminds me of us Cohen. Girl meets boy. Girl doesn't like boy. Girl gets to know boy. Girl starts to really, really like boy,' she said with a shy smile before reaching up and placing a peck on his lips.

'Yeah well I don't know why I bought that crap about no sex,' he said sulkily, 'you couldn't go without it either.'

'You wanna bet on that,' she replied with raised eyebrows as if daring him to say yes. Seth just shook his head sullenly and began playfully twisting his fingers between hers. She was glad that he hadn't taken that bet because in truth, she knew he would've totally won it. She knew she'd probably be able to go a week at most without any action before she just snapped and ravished him at the first opportunity, in a storage closet if they were at school or the floor of whatever room they were in if they were at home. He didn't need to know that though, she wanted him to think that she was in complete control and could turn her horniness on and off whenever she felt like it.

'Hey Seth can you-………………..okayyyy, why are you watching a cheesy romantic comedy from the 80's?' Kirsten said amusedly as she walked into his room.

'Believe me mom, it's not by choice,' he mumbled sulkily while motioning to the brunette in his arms with his head.

'Hi Mrs Cohen,' Summer said brightly after tearing her eyes away from the screen.

'Oh hey Summer, I didn't know you were here and its Kirsten remember. How the hell did you get him to agree to watch this?'

'Oh I uhh, I told him I'd burn his comics if he didn't,' she lied in reply.

'Uh huh. You told him you'd stop having sex with him didn't you?' Kirsten said bluntly with an amused grin on her face, causing both teens to stare at her open-mouthed in stunned disbelief.

'MOM,' Seth finally shouted.

'Oh relax Seth,' she snapped at him in reply before turning to Summer and giving an impressed smirk. 'Great move sweetie, works every time no matter how often you use it. I've been playing that card on his father for twenty years now and it still works like a charm.'

'Oh my God I am not hearing this,' Seth said disgustedly before putting his hands over his ears, 'la la la la la I can't hear you la la……….' The two girls just giggled at his idiocy before Kirsten turned to leave.

'I'd be grateful if you could use it to get him to tidy his room,' she said over her shoulder, in a loud voice in order to be heard over Seth, who was still singing.

'You got it,' Summer shouted back with a laugh before the blonde disappeared. She turned to Seth and pulled his hands away from his ears. 'Your mom's long gone dumbass,' she said with a smirk.

'Can you believe that woman?' he replied incredulously. 'I mean there are some things that a parent just shouldn't say to their kid, there are boundaries and obviously she's quite happy to cross them.'

'Whatever Cohen, I've decided that I'm not in the mood for this. That doesn't mean you've got out of watching it,' she added forcefully when he started to do a little victory jig, 'it just means that it can wait till later.'

'And what exactly are you in the mood for now?' Seth said suggestively. She grinned at him before inching her lips closer to his, to the point where they could feel eachother's breath on their faces. She watched as he closed his eyes in anticipation but when her lips got about half an inch from his, she suddenly stopped.

'Pizza,' she whispered softly, causing him to snap open his eyes and glare sulkily at her. She giggled at his look before playfully pinching his cheeks. 'Aww you are so adorable when you're annoyed,' she said in a cute voice as if she was talking to a baby.

'I am not adorable,' he replied with a sulky pout, 'I'm handsome and rugged and manly,' he added fiercely while flexing his pathetic biceps. Summer just smirked and rolled her eyes at him before clambering off his bed and dragging him up.

'Come on Cohen, lets go get some pizza, you're buying.'

'Now there's a surprise,' he said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, 'I'm pretty sure you're only with me for my money woman.'

'Well it certainly isn't for your physical attributes or your charming personality Cohen that's for sure.'

'HEY!'

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'So uhh, what are you doing for thanksgiving?'

'Oh I don't know, nothing I guess. My dad sent me an e-mail saying he can't get back from Washington and the step monster will be too drugged up to cook a turkey, she'd probably end up burning the house down,' Summer mumbled in reply, a mixture of anger and upset in her tone.

'Do you wanna come round my house?'

'Cohen I can't ask that of you.'

'You're not, I'm asking you,' Seth replied amusedly.

'You know what I mean Cohen,' Summer replied with a roll of her eyes. 'Just because I'm not gonna be celebrating it doesn't mean you have to invite me to yours. Thanksgiving is a family celebration and-'

'And you're like part of the family now Summer,' he cut in forcefully. 'Believe me, my mom will bitchslap the shit outta me if you don't make an appearance so you'd be doing a lot more harm than good if you don't show. Marissa's coming with her whole family so why shouldn't you. Besides it should be fun, my dad and grandpa in the same room is always interesting considering they hate eachother. 'OH MY GOD,' he said with a gasp of realization, 'Ryan and Julie Cooper at the same dinner table, Julie drinking lots of wine, who knows what could happen but words will definitely be exchanged, I can guarantee you that,' he said with an excited grin, 'are you honestly saying you wouldn't want to see that show. Please come Summer, it'd mean a lot to me,' he added with the puppy dog look that he knew she couldn't resist.

'Okay I'll come,' she replied with a defeated sigh although she had a big smile on her face. She didn't let it show how much it meant to her that he'd invited her, but she did scan the diner and the street outside to see if the coast was clear before leaning over the table and placing a long peck on his lips. 'Thanks Cohen. Right, I'm gonna go to the ladies room, be back in five.' Seth nodded and leaned back against the booth as he watched her skip off. He picked up the free local paper on the table and began to flick through the arts and leisure section. He read in silence for about twenty seconds before he heard Summer plop down opposite him.

'Whoa that was quick- oh, hey Casey,' he said uncomfortably when he pulled the paper down only to see it wasn't his girlfriend but her supposed arch enemy.

'Why the hell haven't you called me?' she said angrily, obviously deciding it was best to skip niceties and get straight to the point. 'It's been a week and a half.'

'Yeah I know, sorry I uhh, I lost your number,' he lied, choosing not to tell her that he had ripped it to pieces.

'Oh okay,' she said brightly, 'I was starting to think that you just didn't wanna call me. I'm gonna give you my number again, just make sure you don't lose it this time.' Seth just nodded nervously as she pulled a pen out of her bag and scrawled her number in big digits all the way down his forearm. He knew he needed to get rid of her before Summer came back or all hell would break loose.

Although they had gotten over their argument incredibly quickly, only taking a day to fall back into flirty, comfortable, bantering mode, Seth knew that Summer felt incredibly threatened by Casey. This was due to the fact that on several occasions he had seen her visibly tense up and clench her fists when she noticed Casey nearby. A few times, Casey had walked past them in the halls and given him a flirty smile, and he had had to physically restrain Summer to prevent her from kicking her ass.

'Uhh thanks for you number again Casey but I think it would be a good idea if you left now,' he mumbled pleadingly.

'Why?' she said in a hurt voice.

'I'm here with my friend Summer Roberts and she really doesn't like you and-'

'What the hell do you think you're doing whore?' Summer interrupted him through gritted teeth when she appeared at his shoulder. 'You're in my seat so why don't you fuck off and find someone else to infect with your unpleasant smelling STI's, skank.'

'Ugh, excuse me bitch we were talking here,' Casey replied, voice full of attitude and looking at Summer like she was a worthless piece of shit.

'No, you were talking and now you're not because you're leaving. Cohen, tell this little scammer to go and slut her shit somewhere else.' They both turned and looked at him expectantly, something that made him very uncomfortable.

'Uhh Summer was here first so I think it would be a good idea if you just left Casey,' he muttered, not looking at her. Summer gave a smug grin at the other girl while her mouth just fell open in disbelief and anger.

'Seth, are you dating this bitch?' Casey said angrily.

'Uhh no but-'

'Then why the hell do you let her boss you around all the freaking time? Stand up for yourself and tell her that she should be the one to leave, we both know that that's what you really want,' she said fiercely, reaching across the table and putting her hand on his.

'Umm actuallyyyyy,' Seth mumbled as he pulled his hand away from hers, 'I'd uhh, I'd really prefer it if she stayed. She's told me I shouldn't trust you and she's a good friend who'd never lie to me so I uhh, I've decided to take her word for it. I-I don't think it's a good idea that we hang out or anything, I'm just not interested, sorry.' Casey's eyes began to water while Summer just crossed her arms and gave a smug, triumphant grin in her direction. Seth had to look away. Even though he didn't know her, he really didn't like to see her upset because of him.

'Seth, you can't believe everything that comes out of this tramp's mouth,' Casey replied desperately. 'She's always hated me, she's like, I dunno, jealous of me or somethin I jus-' She was interrupted by Summer giving a loud snort.

'Jealous. Of you,' she said with a laugh. 'Don't flatter yourself whore, I'm better than you in every single way and you know it, you're the jealous little bitch. In fact that's why you're doing this isn't it. You seem to have got it stuck in that twisted little brain of yours that turning Cohen here against me is the best possible way to hurt me.' Summer knew that it was indeed the best way to hurt her but she was going to do everything in her power to stop Casey from knowing that.

'Oh please hun, I have much more productive things to do with my time than think of ways to piss you off. I don't think about you, you're not worthy of my thoughts. In fact, the only time I do think about you is when I see a steaming pile of dog shit on the floor.' Summer lunged at her but Seth, who had been expecting it, stood up and grabbed her waist.

'Let go of me Cohen. You wanna take this outside slut, I will snap your skinny ass in two,' she shouted at the other girl, causing other peoples heads to turn in their direction.

'Get outta my face bitch or I will seriously hurt you,' Casey screamed back with a look of rage on her face, standing up to Summer's level.

'ENOUGH, you're causing a scene' Seth said loudly and forcefully as he let go of his girlfriend and put his arms between the two of them, before pushing them back as far away from eachother as possible. 'Summer, sit down. Casey, leave please.'

'Fine,' Casey said angrily while Summer just glared at her and obeyed Seth's command, sitting down drumming the table with her fingernails, a deadly scowl on her face. 'You know, just because she says you shouldn't trust me, doesn't mean you have to listen to her.'

'I know but-'

'No its okay, I get it. You trust your friends and I like that in a guy. And just because you don't trust me now, doesn't mean I can't try and prove to you that I'm trustworthy does it?'

'No but I-'

'Great,' she cut in with a happy smile, clapping her hands together excitedly, 'that's all I wanted to hear. See ya around Seth. Oh and by the way tramp,' she said to Summer in a sweet voice, 'your top is ugly as hell,' before surprising him with a kiss on the cheek and walking off. Summer, having seen the kiss, filled with intense rage again and tried to get up and go after her, but Seth was quick to react to her lunging off her seat and caught her by the waist.

'Let go of me Cohen,' she mumbled furiously while struggling to break free, 'I will not have some dirty slut kissing my boyfriend, even on the cheek. That bitch needs to be taught a lesson, now let me fucking go.' Seeing that she was teetering on the edge of a rage blackout and not really wanting to be on the receiving end of it, Seth obeyed her command. He threw a twenty on the table to pay for the food even though it only cost five, because it was the only thing he could find in his pocket and Summer was already stomping out the door. He didn't want to lose sight of her because she had gone totally crazy with rage and when she got like that, who knew what she was capable of.

'Summer, SUMMER,' he shouted as he chased her down the pier. For someone with legs as short as hers, she sure could walk fast when she was pissed off. 'Summer she's gone, just forget it okay,' he said softly when he caught up with her but still she didn't acknowledge him or stop. Eventually she stopped and began to scan the crowds with a look of death on her face, Seth just standing there helplessly, before letting out a scream of frustration, collapsing on a nearby bench and burying her face in her hands.

'Are you okay,' Seth said gently after a few minutes of sitting in silence and comfortingly stroking her back. She just nodded into her hands before taking a few deep breaths and turning to look at him. She wasn't crying but she was obviously putting all her effort into stopping the tears that he could see prickling the corners of her eyes from falling.

'I…………………I just………………...I know she's trying to break us up and I just wanna, you know,' she muttered weakly before making a strangling motion with her hands.

'I know Sum,' he said comfortingly, 'believe me, I don't like it any more than you do, you've just gotta try your hardest to ignore her and eventually she'll get bored and give up. You're uhh, you're not mad at me are you.'

'No of course not,' she said with a frustrated sigh, 'you did everything you could to show her that you're not interested and still she won't give up. What are we gonna do Cohen, you can't just say she isn't a problem because she obviously is.'

'I dunno,' he replied concernedly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both racking their brains for an idea when all of a sudden, Seth's head snapped up.

'I've got it. You're not gonna like it, I really don't, but I think it's the only way.'

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'FUCK YOU GEEK! You know what, I can't believe I was ever friends with a loser like you, I mean what the hell was I thinking?'

'RIGHT BACK AT YA, YOU SLUT! I've probably caught Chlamydia just by sitting within ten foot of you.'

'You are so fucking lame you know that. I would be so happy if I never saw your dorky face again, EVER.'

'FINE BY ME!'

'FINE!'

'FINE!'

Seth turned and stomped away from the table with a massive angry scowl on his face, while Summer did the exact same thing going the opposite direction. They were both bright red with anger and she looked just about ready to kill the next person who dared talk to her. She stamped out of the eating area and headed towards the parking lot.

Seth walked past Casey, who looked just as shocked as the fifty other students in area, and gave her a smile. He stormed over to his locker and threw it open with force, causing a loud bang to echo through the halls. He was still breathing heavily with rage. Everyone in the halls were looking at him as well, obviously the news of the screaming match he had just been involved in had spread already. He threw his books in the locker before slamming it loudly and stomping off.

He circled the whole school premises three times while muttering furiously to himself and repeatedly grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. He looked like he would fit right in in a psychiatric ward. When he had calmed down sufficiently, Seth decided that it would be best to keep himself to himself and chose to go and find a secluded place. After all, he suspected that insulting one of the most popular girls in school would make the jocks very angry. They would probably see beating him shitless as the best way to get into her pants.

He chose to make his way to the library, to the dustiest far corner where nobody ever went to be more specific. When he got there, Seth pulled a tattered old Charles Dickens book off the shelf and began to read, but was interrupted when he was spun round and felt a pair of lips crash against his. He immediately relaxed into the kiss and massaged his tongue forcefully against hers. When he pulled back he grinned at the gorgeous girl standing before him.

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'You did great Cohen,' Summer squealed happily before pulling him down for another fiery kiss again. 'Great improvisation by the way, adding that Chlamydia jibe,' she added jokingly when she pulled back.

'Thanks. I don't think you're a slut by the way, it's just everybody else does so I thought I'd add it for extra effect,' he replied with a sheepish grin.

'I know, and don't worry, I don't think you're a geek either. Oh wait, yes I do,' she countered teasingly. 'And what are you talking about, I am a slut, at least for you anyway,' she added seductively before pressing her face into his neck and sucking on it. When she pulled back she smirked at the sight of the huge hickey she had left.

'So, remind me what the next part of this harebrained scheme involves please.'

'Well, now that whoreface thinks we've fallen out and using you isn't going to hurt me, you're going to go up to her when she's surrounded by all her friends and ask her for a date because you no longer like or trust me, and you want to get to know her as much as she said she wants to get to know you. She'll be humiliated, will reject you on the spot and never come near you again,' Summer replied happily.

'Well I must say, I am a freaking genius, it's simply a foolproof plan,' Seth said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 'Of course it comes at the small price of not being able to be with you at all at school,' he added with a frown, 'you have no idea how hard that's gonna be for me.'

'Believe me baby I know,' Summer replied with an unhappy sigh, 'it's gonna be so damn hard for me too but I think it's worth it in the long run if it means getting that skank off your ass for good.'

'Yeah I guess. Anyways, I'm gonna go ask "whoreface",' he said with air quotes, 'for that date. I'll call you later and tell you how it goes,' he added with a kiss before turning to leave. Summer pulled him back.

'Okay Cohen and don't worry, we'll still be able to be together at school, we'll just have to make sure that she doesn't see us. We'll just have to meet up here as often as possible, this can be like our own little corner of naughtiness,' she added with a flirtatious grin before reaching up for another passionate kiss.

'Sounds awesome,' he replied with a smile, 'okay I'll call you later.'

'See ya Cohen. And remember, whatever happens I uhh, I-I…………………I hate you now, you geek,' she finally said with a giggle.

Right back at ya you slut, bye' he replied with an amused smirk and one final kiss before turning and walking off.

'Bye Cohen,' Summer mumbled to herself. 'I...I love you.'

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Seth approached the group of girls with apprehension. Although he was used to it, he still really didn't like being ridiculed, and he knew he was just about to get totally ripped to shreds by them like a pack of rabid hyenas. He took a deep breath and moved towards them. When he got within five feet, they all turned and looked at him disgustedly like he was a gigantic pile of horseshit, apart from Casey that is who had a big smile on her face, something that surprised him and only made him more nervous.

'Uhh, hey Case,' he mumbled uncertainly. 'Obviously you saw my little fight with that bitch and she was the only thing stopping me from getting to know you. She was the one who said I shouldn't trust you but now I don't trust her and realize I was wrong to listen to her, I'm sorry I did. So I uhh, I was wondering if you uhh, if you'd like to go on a date with me sometime.'

All the girls burst into giggles and looked at him as if he was insane. Seth just rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently, he just wanted her to get on with it and call him a loser and tell him to fuck off, a command he'd be more than happy to obey.

'Sure Seth that'd be awesome,' Casey finally replied enthusiastically, causing all the girls to give disbelieving gasps and his mouth to drop open in horror.

'Uhh, I'm sorry, what?' he said in a panicky voice. She giggled at what she obviously thought was his disbelief.

'I said that'd be great Seth,' she said through her chuckles. 'I'm free Friday night if that's good for you.' Seth just nodded, he didn't know what to do or say. 'Great, so pick me up at seven. Bye Seth.' She gave him a peck on the cheek before turning and sauntering off with her girlfriends. He could hear her laughing and giggling.

'What? I think he's really cute. I can't help who I have a crush on. I…………..' he heard her saying to one of her friends before they rounded a corner and their voices died away. Seth stood there with his mouth hanging open for a further ten minutes. He couldn't comprehend what the hell had just happened, it was pretty much the exact opposite of what he and Summer had planned.

When he finally snapped out of his trance, he began to shuffle dejectedly down the now empty halls, the bell had long gone but he was in too large a state of shock to care. He found the class he was looking for and gave a small knock on the door before popping his head inside.

'Can I help you Mr Cohen?' the female teacher said harshly, obviously annoyed at being interrupted mid-lecture.

'Uhh yeah, I've been told to fetch Summer Roberts, Dr Kim would like to see her in her office immediately,' he mumbled. The teacher sighed.

'Go on Miss Roberts, you might as well take your things too.' Summer gathered up her notes and bag and strolled out the door. When he had closed the door behind her, Seth grabbed her hand and dragged her round a corner into a secluded corridor.

'What's goin on Cohen, I thought the dean wanted to see me. You better ha-' she said in a confused voice but was cut off by one of his fingers on her lips.

'Shut up Sum,' he said in a panicky tone. 'You know how we came up with the plan to get rid of our little problem.'

'Yeahhhhhh,' she said cautiously.

'Well Houston, we have an even bigger one.'

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**A/N – There you go people. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review. Thanks.**


	18. Not so happy holidays

**A/N – Thanks for the amazing reviews people, they inspire me so much. Here's the next chapter. Please R&R folks.**

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'Hello Cohen family plus one juvenile delinquent plus one best friend, happy thanksgiving,' Summer said brightly as she walked into the kitchen to see Ryan, Marissa, Seth and his parents sitting round the breakfast bar. 'Hey baby,' she added sweetly as she wrapped her arms round Seth from behind and gave him a soft peck on the lips. She then moved in front of him and leant back on his chest as his arms snaked round her waist.

'Hello Summer, happy thanksgiving to you too,' Sandy said happily. 'So glad you could come.'

'Oh thanks for having me Mr and Mrs Cohen.'

'No problem sweetie and please will you drop the formal crap already, you've been coming round here for nearly a month now and still you won't call us by our first names, you're far too polite,' Kirsten said with an amused look.

'Sorry Kirsten,' she said sheepishly. 'Where are your parents Coop, I thought they were coming.'

'They're picking up Caitlyn, they'll be here in a couple of hours.

'Cool. So, what did you say to skank features last night Cohen?'

'Exactly what you told me to say, I told her I was really ill and couldn't make it. She seemed disappointed but I'm pretty sure she bought it.'

'Who are you talking about?' Kirsten asked curiously.

'This slut from school, Casey Fielding.' Summer replied. 'She's hated me for years, basically because I'm prettier and smarter and more popular, and now she's like stalking Seth to try and upset me.'

'And even though I've told her not to, Summer here is really letting it get to her,' Seth mumbled.

'Well how the hell am I supposed to not let it bother me when you agreed to go on a date with her,' Summer countered angrily.

'WHAT?' Marissa and Kirsten both said simultaneously in disbelief.

'That's not as bad as she makes it sound,' Seth said with a glare at his girlfriend, 'and it wasn't even my fault anyway. See, we had this plan where we'd pretend to fall out in front of her and then I'd go ask her out on a date. We figured that seeing as she was only trying to use me to get at Summer, if she thought we hated each other I'd be of no further use to her and she'd reject me. So we had a big, angry, extremely realistic screaming match in the middle of the food court in front of like half the school, including her, then I went and asked her for a date in front of all her friends. She freaking accepted and now she's expecting me to take her out at some point in the near future.'

'Yeah well when she said yes you could've said you changed your mind or you were joking,' Summer whined.

'What, and look like an even bigger tool than I already did in front of all those girls? Not likely. Don't worry, we'll figure something out, just concentrate on enjoying thanksgiving today.' Summer just nodded in reply. They stood in awkward silence for a little while before she remembered something.

'Oh we totally have to celebrate Cohen,' she said brightly, 'two months tomorrow.'

'Two months what?' he said confusedly causing Summer to roll her eyes.

'Two months together dumbass. I hope for your sake you've bought me a present.' A panicked look spread across his face.

'Of course I have Sum,' he said nervously. Everyone burst into laughter at the look on his face. 'What, WHAT?'

'Don't worry Cohen, I know you didn't get me a present and I was kidding about wanting one,' Summer said through her giggles.

'Oh thank God,' he said with a sigh of relief, 'I thought it was kinda weird considering we never actually celebrated one month. I'm sure you know that guys don't really keep count, has it really been two months? Best two months of my life that's for sure,' he said with a grin before reaching up and planting a big kiss on her.

'Mmmmm, mine too baby,' she mumbled against his lips with a smile. Kirsten and Sandy had big grins on their faces while Marissa and Ryan made vomiting gestures.

'Oh my God you two are like the cutest couple ever,' Kirsten squealed gleefully, causing the two teens to pull apart and give shy smiles.

'Okay mom we are not a cute couple, we are a hot couple. We are like the Cruise's or the Beckham's of Newport,' Seth said with a smirk.

'Ahem.' They all turned to face Ryan and Marissa when they heard her give a small cough. 'I'm sorry but we are way hotter than you guys,' she said with a smirk, wrapping her arms round Ryan's shoulders from behind.

'Oh please, we like totally smoke you in the hotness ratings Coop. I mean your other half is a criminal, so not hot,' Summer said with a grin while Ryan just glared at her.

'Oh yeah, well Seth here is a comic book geek, I mean come on, EW,' Marissa countered with her own grin.

'Oh no, you did not just steal my word. Cohen, tell me she didn't just steal my word.'

'She stole your word.'

'Okay guys, sorry to inform you but we are in fact the hottest couple in town,' Sandy said with a smirk while wrapping his arms round his wife's waist and pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

'Oh my God you two are so gross,' Seth said disgustedly when they pulled apart. 'It's okay for us to make out in the kitchen because we're high schoolers, it's what we do best, but you guys, you're like ninety so it's just plain wrong,' he finished, causing them to glare at him.

'Leave them alone Cohen,' Summer chastised, slapping his arm. 'I hope we're still that cute when we're their age.' A deadly silence filled the room at her words. They all looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before Seth slipped off his stool.

'I Uhh, I'm gonna go upstairs now,' he mumbled before practically running out the room.

'Yeah I think we're gonna go to the poolhouse for a bit,' Ryan said before grabbing Marissa's hand and pretty much dragging her out the door.

'I umm, I got some work to do in my study, see you ladies later,' Sandy said quickly before darting off, leaving a very confused Summer standing there with Kirsten.

'Was it something I said?'

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'You see sweetie, the thing about guys, and I'm not just talking Seth, I'm talking the whole male race,' Kirsten said gently as she handed Summer a freshly made cup of coffee, 'is that if you mention one little word about commitment beyond the next six months at most, they just totally freak out. I made the same mistake with Sandy once, we were about nineteen and I just jokingly said something about babies. He nearly passed out on the spot.'

'And what I said about us being as cute as you guys when we're your age has scared the crap outta him?'

'Exactly.'

'But doesn't he know I was just joking, that I didn't mean anything by it? I mean we're gonna be okay right? Oh god, he's not gonna think I'm like some total psycho whose already planning our whole lives and break up with me is he?' Summer said in a panicky voice.

'No sweetie, God no, why would you even think that? Nobody knows someone better that their own mother and I can tell you that you mean the absolute world to him. Give him five minutes before going and telling him that it didn't mean anything, he'll be back to his normal annoying self before dinner.'

'Thanks Kirsten,' she replied weakly. 'I don't know why considering he's the idiot, but I just get the feeling that if anyone's gonna screw up this amazing thing we've got going, it's gonna be me and I really don't wanna lose him.'

'You really like him don't you?' Kirsten said with a smile. Summer just looked down and shook her head shyly. 'You don't?'

'It…………………….It's way past just liking him,' she mumbled embarrassedly, 'I love him.' Kirsten's eyes grew wide and she clapped her hand over her mouth at the girl's words.

'How do you know?' she whispered softly.

'I………………I just do. I pretty much think about him every minute of the day, and then when I go to sleep he's the main focus of my dreams too. I just can't imagine my life without him anymore because it completely revolves around him and making him as happy as possible, you know what I mean?'

I do,' Kirsten said with a huge smile on her face. 'Oh my God, my baby's in love and she loves him back,' she squealed with watery eyes before throwing her arms around Summer.

'I'm sorry what?' Summer said in a shocked voice when they pulled apart. 'You just said he loves me too, are you sure?'

'Like I said sweetie, nobody knows someone better than their own mother and it's obvious to me that he's head over heels in love with you, he has been for a long time. Haven't you told each other yet?'

'No it's just, don't you think it's too soon? I mean we've only really known each other for like four months and have been dating for only two of them. Besides, don't you think we're too young to be really, genuinely in love?'

'You can't put an age on true love and trust me honey, what you have is real, I can just tell. The way you look at each other, the way you talk to each other, it reminds me of me and Sandy in our Berkeley days, in the first stages of love and look at us now, happily married for nearly two decades.'

'Do you think that's gonna happen for us?'

'Well hardly anybody marries their high school sweetheart but with you two it's different, you've got something bigger than your average high school relationship going on, so have Ryan and Marissa. At this stage it's probably still unlikely and there'll be plenty of obstacles along the way but you know, never say never.'

'Yeah, thanks Kirsten. So uhh, do you think I should tell him, or should I wait for him to say it first, or what?'

'Trust me honey, when the time is right, the words will just come.'

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'Hey Cohen,' Summer said softly when she walked through his door.

'Oh hey,' he replied in what was meant to be an airy voice but came out all weird. 'I was uhh, I was just tidying my room. Sorry for leaving you down there, I was gonna come down in a few minutes.'

'Come here Cohen.' He walked over to her and she wrapped her arms tightly round his waist and put her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. 'I'm sorry I freaked you out,' she whispered gently.

'No no you didn't freak me out,' he replied casually, causing her to pull back and sceptically raise an eyebrow at him. 'Okay maybe a little but don't worry about it, its cool.'

'Yeah well just so you know, it was only a joke, I didn't mean anything by it. I mean yeah, I do sometimes think about us and the future but I'm only talking as far ahead as graduation and college.'

'Yeah I sometimes think about that too,' Seth said with a smile. 'You know, we're juniors so when this school year's over we'll have to start thinking about where we're gonna apply. Do you uhh, do you wanna try and get in somewhere together?'

'Really?' Summer replied brightly. 'That'd be awesome but only if you're sure. I know I'd like to but I mean that's a really big step, planning the next four years of our lives to be together. We haven't even said those three little words to each other yet.'

'I know but I'm pretty damn sure I do,' he mumbled embarrassedly

'I think I do too Cohen,' she said with a huge smile, causing him to give a shocked grin.

'So uhh, do you wanna say it?'

'No I want it to be special. I asked your mom about it and she says that when the time is right, the words will just come naturally.'

'Okay,' Seth replied happily, 'and I'm sorry I freaked out. I guess I just heard you talking about us still being together twenty years down the line and panicked because I've never thought that far forward and wasn't sure if I should be doing.'

'It's okay, like I said I was just joking. I think a couple of years at most is how far ahead we should be thinking. Graduation and college is fine for now.'

'That's not too scary, I can handle that,' he said with a smile.

'Yeah, don't worry Cohen I'll look after you, baby steps I promise. Remember, this serious relationship stuff is all new to me too but believe me, I wouldn't swap it for anything in the world, it's perfect,' Summer said with a cheesy grin before reaching up and giving him a passionate kiss.

'It is isn't it,' Seth replied with his own massive grin when they pulled apart, 'there's only one thing I can think of that's more perfect, thanksgiving dinner. OH CRAP, right now my mom's the only person down there. Come on, we've gotta stop her before she touches anything and totally ruins the holiday,' he said while grabbing her hand and dragging her out the room.

When they got downstairs, they walked into the kitchen to find Kirsten hovering over the turkey with a basting brush. 'Nooooooooo,' Seth shouted in slow motion, causing Summer to giggle. He ran in slow motion before launching himself between him mom and the turkey, it looked like a scene from The Bodyguard and Summer found it absolutely hilarious. 'Mom, what the hell do you think you're doing?' he said crossly, snatching the brush from her. 'Are you trying to ruin the whole holiday because we all know that without an edible turkey, there is no thanksgiving.'

'How the hell do you expect me to get better if you won't let me do anything,' she replied annoyedly.

'That's the thing mom, we don't. You just stick to being the master of ordering takeout and leave the cooking to the people who can actually make a salad without burning it.'

'Summer, back me up here please.'

'Sorry Kirsten,' Summer replied with a giggle, putting her hands up in a defensive motion, 'but if your cooking really is as bad as Seth has told me, I'm totally on his side.'

'Hmph,' Kirsten pouted sulkily, 'some daughter-in-law you're gonna be.'

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'What the hell is your problem, you're from Riverside right, we're cut from the same deck.'

'Why you little, how dare you compare yourself to me, I was never locked up for grand theft auto.'

'Okay Julie just stop, you're our guest here and if you don't stop insulting Ryan I will have to ask you to leave.'

'Shut up Sanford, this is entirely your fault. If you weren't such a self-righteous hippy this delinquent wouldn't even be here, I bet he's a pothead just like you were.'

'Dad will you give it a rest already, me and Sandy have been together for twenty years and still you can't accept him, are you ever going to? God I need a drink.'

'I'm sorry Kirsten but Caleb's right. Sandy, how dare you terrorize the community by taking in such a grubby little felon, have you no respect for your friends and neighbours?'

'Oh you're one to talk Jules, you're such a hypocrite. You don't have any respect for anybody unless they're born into a wealthy family, even though you were raised in a ten by twelve foot trailer.'

'Keep your nose outta this Jimmy. I bet you're loving this aren't you? You're a thief, he's a thief, it's like one big happy prison reunion.'

'Shut up mom, dad never went to prison and Ryan was in juvie for like a week. Why can't you just accept that I love him?'

'I'll tell you why your mother can't accept that Marissa, because if you stay with this waste of space you'll always be poor. You'll most likely end up the wife of a McDonald's employee living in a trailer with six kids. The best this loser can ever hope for is to become a crappy public defender on about fifty grand a year.'

'You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you. It's never been about money for me, I just wanna help people who need it the most, unlike you. You don't care how many lives you destroy as long as you're making money, you're like the Saddam Hussein of the west.'

'Okay this is like totally lame, why couldn't you have just let me stay at boarding school for the holidays? At least there I would've been able to get drunk and high.'

'CAITLYN!'

Seth and Summer just sat there holding hands under the table with amused grins on their faces. They found watching the chaos develop all around them to be absolutely hilarious. 'And you thought your family was fucked up,' he leant over and whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle and give him a playful shove. 'Can you believe you didn't want to come at first, you would've missed all this?'

'I know, I admit it has been kinda fun, and the food isn't even ready yet, we've got at least another two hours of this,' she replied through her chuckles.

'Come on,' Seth said with a mischievous grin. He took her hand and pulled her out the room before taking her round the corner and pushing her into one of the many little hidden nooks in the house. He pressed his body into hers and forcefully connected lips with her. Summer moaned into his mouth as their tongues tangled, she could feel her body beginning to heat rapidly and the delightful smell of his aftershave was clouding her senses, driving her insane. 'Although listening to them bicker is fun, this is even better,' he said through heavy breathing when they pulled apart after several minutes. Summer just gave him a flustered grin and nodded, she had a bright red face and was panting heavily too. She pulled his head down for more and they continued their little game of tonsil hockey until Summer felt his fingers wander to the hem of her shirt and give it a light tug, a sign that she new meant he wanted it off.

'No way Cohen, not here not now,' she said strongly as she pulled out of the kiss.

'Pleeeeeeeease. My room? I'm that horny I'm sure I'll only need like five minutes,' he said with a pleading look before moving in for another kiss.

'Yeah well your room doesn't have a lock and I'm sorry but I refuse to have sex in an unlocked room with other people in the house,' she replied forcefully as she moved away from his attempted kiss.

'What about the bathroom then, that's got a lock?'

'EW no, that's just gross. Besides, you know I'm a loud fuck Seth, I really want to as well but we just can't, it's too risky, sorry.'

'It's okay,' Seth replied with a defeated sigh, 'but we can still make out right?' Summer just grinned and nodded before pulling him down for another passionate kiss. They continued to entertain each other with their tongues for a couple more minutes before the doorbell rang.

'I'll get that,' Summer said when they pulled apart, 'you go check on the food, everybody else is still too busy yelling to be paying attention to that.' Seth just nodded and with one last kiss, headed toward the kitchen while she made for the door.

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'OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?' Seth was happily stirring away when he heard Summer shriek from the foyer. Everybody else still had raised voices and didn't hear his girlfriend. He rushed out the kitchen and put his head in his hands at what he saw.

'ME! WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE, I THOUGHT HE GOT RID OF YOU,' Casey shouted angrily in reply.

'We made up so leave, NOW. He doesn't want to see you.'

'LET ME SEE HIM,' Casey said forcefully.

'NO!'

'Alright alright just stop,' Seth said as he walked up to the door.

'OH MY GOD, YOU'RE NOT ILL,' Casey shrieked when she saw him. 'You lied to me. Let me guess, you guys made up and now she's convinced you not to see me again,' she added, eyes beginning to well up.

'Casey, I'm sorry okay, I just-'

'Save it asshole,' she sobbed, finally letting the tears begin to fall. 'How could you do that to me? You promised me a date but all she had to do was flutter her eyelashes and say sorry and you just changed your mind like that. You know, I really thought you were different but it turns out you're nothing but another bastard.'

'Casey please-'

'SHUT UP,' she screamed. 'I even bought you a present because I felt sorry for you being ill during the holidays,' she sobbed before shoving a small, neatly wrapped box roughly into his hands. 'There you go you son of a bitch, I hope you like it. I never wanna see you again.' With that, she turned and ran off sobbing towards her car.

'CASEY WAIT,' Seth shouted desperately.

'WAIT! WAIT?' Summer shrieked, 'do you not want her to leave?'

'NO, I mean YES.' Summer's eyes began to water at his words.

'You are such an asshole sometimes you know that,' she whispered angrily, 'I'm leaving.'

'Summer wait, please don't go,' he pleaded. 'What I meant was that I do want her to leave but not with her upset at me.'

'WELL TOO BAD,' Summer shouted in reply. 'She's already left because you're a bastard and now I'm doing the same.' Seth watched her stomp upstairs and return a few seconds later with her jacket and handbag. She had begun to cry. She walked past him with tears falling down her face, not looking at him.

'Summer please, I'm so sorry,' he whimpered desperately as he followed her towards the still open door. When she got there, he grabbed for her hand to try and stop her but she spun round and roughly shoved him into the doorframe.

'Go to hell Seth,' she whispered angrily with a tear-filled glare before turning and walking off towards her car. Seth just let out a shaky breath and rested his head on the doorframe with his eyes closed.

'Damn, you just got totally death glared, she had rays of hate shooting out her eyes. What did you do this time you moron.' Seth popped open an eye at the sound of the annoying voice to see Caitlyn standing there with an amused smirk.

'Shouldn't you be off rolling a joint somewhere Caitlyn?'

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Two hours later, Seth was laid out on the couch after what was officially the worst thanksgiving dinner ever. At the start of the day he had expected it to be awesome because it was his first with Summer but after she had left, it had quickly turned into a holiday to forget.

The bickering and family feuding that he had always found so entertaining over the years had even lost its appeal and he had spent the whole dinner in silence, miserably picking at his food. It was the first thanksgiving ever that he had failed to clear his plate, usually he went back for seconds and thirds and fourths and so on.

He had decided not to call Summer, remembering back to how she had refused to pick up the last time she was mad at him. Marissa and Ryan had gone for a walk, he would've gone but he didn't want to be a third wheel. After getting all the arguing out of their systems, Jimmy, Julie and Caleb had all left too.

Caitlyn had disappeared shortly after dinner and he had walked up a few minutes ago to find her smoking a reefer in his room. He had had a strong urge to join her and smoke away his depression, but figured that Summer would be pissed if she ever found out and she was already mad enough with him as things were.

His parents were the only ones who were concerned about him and the whereabouts of his girlfriend, constantly bombarding him with questions all through dinner. He had just told them to leave him alone and seeing that he was in no mood for talking, they had obliged and were cuddled together in the den, watching a Sylvester Stallone movie.

As he ran through the events of the afternoon in his mind, Seth couldn't help but feel a little pissed off at Summer. He thought she really had no right to be mad at him considering all he'd done wrong was accidentaly tell her that he wanted Casey to stay, something that was completely untrue. He hadn't wanted her to stay, he had just wanted to talk to her and try and stop her from leaving while she was upset or angry at him but naturally, Summer had taken it completely the wrong way and stormed off without giving him a chance to explain.

He just couldn't understand her problem. If anyone had the right to be mad, it was him at her. They had been dating two months, she had told him earlier that she was pretty sure she was in love with him, but still she didn't show any signs of making their relationship public and although he hadn't told her for fear of an argument, it was really starting to piss him off.

Her paranoia was also starting to get on his nerves. He trusted her 100 percent and even though she said she did too, it was obvious that that wasn't true. Seth just didn't know what else he could do to show her that he was totally committed to her and her only.

He was snapped out his depressing thoughts when the doorbell rang. 'I'll get it,' he shouted to no one in particular before jumping off the couch and shuffling towards the door. He threw it open and was surprised by who he saw.

'Hey Seth.'

'Oh, hey.'

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Summer hopped out the shower and immediately checked her cell phone. No missed calls. What the hell was taking him so long? Although the relentless calling and texting had annoyed her last time they had fought, it also reassured her, it showed her that he cared. But this time? zip, nada, NOTHING.

She knew that maybe she'd overreacted a bit, that he hadn't wanted Casey to stay, he'd probably just jumbled his words but even so, it had hurt her like hell. She knew that deep down she wasn't angry at Seth but that slut Casey and was just taking her frustrations out on the easiest possible target, her perfect boyfriend. Her perfect boyfriend who she had pretty much told she loved and wanted to go to college with less than three hours ago.

Summer also knew that she was being paranoid and untrustworthy, something she had no right to do considering it was obvious that Seth trusted her with his life. She guessed it went back to her unhappy childhood, both her parents abandoning her in various ways, it had seemingly given her a trust issues.

Also, even though he'd never tell her, Summer could tell that the secrecy of their relationship was really starting to bug him. To tell the truth, she didn't even know why she still wanted to keep their relationship a secret, she didn't really hang with the popular crowd at all anymore but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to let go of them. She guessed it was another one of her many issues, the fact that she had been ignored at home for so long made her desperately crave attention at school and she knew that as soon as she admitted she was dating Seth, the amount of attention she got would go downhill fast.

Summer was snapped out of her thoughts by her cell phone ringing. _'About fucking time,'_ she thought as she picked up the phone and saw **Cohen Home **on the caller ID screen. Although she was relieved that he had finally called her, she wasn't going to be civil to him yet, pettiness and stubbornness was just part of the package of being Summer Roberts.

'Leave me alone asshole,' she said angrily down the line when she had flipped the phone open, 'I'm still mad at you and don't want to talk right now, Go away Seth.'

'Uhh, actually Summer it's Kirsten.'

'Oh, hi Kirsten,' she mumbled embarrassedly, 'sorry about that, what's up.'

'Umm, I was wondering if you could come over to the house.'

'Sorry I can't, I'm just not ready to talk to him yet, he really hurt me this afternoon.'

'Sweetie, I don't know what's gone on between you two but Seth hasn't asked me to call you, It's me who needs your help.'

'Why?'

'Well he uhh, he's really upset.'

'Well I'm not exactly all sunshine and smiles either, sorry but he's just gonna have to deal with it, tell him I'll drop by in the morning.'

'No it's not about you two fighting, well he was miserable about that but that's not it.'

'What is it?'

'Uhh, something happened.'

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**A/N – Dun dun dun! Yay, a cliff-hanger. Please review it would mean a lot. Extra points for anyone who can guess what's happened.**


	19. All by myself

**A/N – Thanks for the awesome reviews for the last chapter folks. PLEASE leave a review for this chapter, thanks.**

**Extra points go to SarPinky who was the only reviewer who guessed the correct person involved in what has gone on.**

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Summer walked into Seth's room to the sight of him laid on his bed with his face buried deep in his pillow. 'Cohen,' she said softly, causing him to jump and spin his head round to face her. Summer felt her heart break when she saw his face. He had puffy, bloodshot eyes from crying and looked utterly miserable.

'Summer,' he said in a surprised tone, his voice hoarse from crying. 'Hold on a sec,' he added embarrassedly before turning away from her towards the wall and wiping his eyes furiously.

'Baby its okay,' she said gently as she walked over and crouched down beside his bed before pulling him round by his shoulder to face her. 'It's alright to cry you know, you really don't have to hide it from me,' she added soothingly as she began to stroke her fingers through his thick curls. Seth just gave an embarrassed nod.

'What about all that crying is for weaklings stuff,' he mumbled.

'It's okay Cohen, I already knew you were weak,' she replied teasingly with a grin, something that made him give a small smile. 'But seriously baby, are you alright?' she asked gently, still comfortingly running her fingers through his hair.

'Yeah I'm fine,' he replied with an unhappy sigh, 'apart from the fact that I have no friends that is.'

'So she's really gone huh.'

'Yep. She stopped by to tell me she's moving down to Mexico tomorrow with her dad. I feel really sorry for her, I mean finding out your grandmother has only two months to live on thanksgiving, hardly the best holiday news ever. That's why she's leaving, she wants to spend as much time with her as possible, but even though she has to go, it doesn't make it any easier. I mean she was like my shrink as well as my best friend, I could talk to her about absolutely anything, what am I gonna do without her?'

'Its gonna be alright Seth,' Summer replied softly as she climbed onto his bed and pushed her body as close to his as possible, wrapping her arms around him tightly. 'You've still got me, and your parents, and Ryan, hell, even Coop's here for you.'

'I know but it's not the same,' he whimpered miserably. 'Ryan and Marissa are so wrapped up in each other these days that I don't even know them anymore, my parents are just too difficult to talk to about anything serious, and I could talk to her about things I can't exactly talk to you about.'

'Like what?' she asked curiously.

'You mainly,' he mumbled embarrassedly.

'Me? You could've talked to me about me, I love me.' Summer said with a grin. 'What did you say about me?'

'Not telling you,' he said with his own smile, sticking out his tongue childishly at her, 'but I promise you it was all good.'

'It'd better be or I'll kick your ass,' Summer said with a smile. 'I'll be able to find out if you're lying, she'll have e-mail you know.' Seth just nodded sadly at her words. 'You'll still be able to talk to her Seth, you'll just have to do the long distance thing, phoning and e-mailing and all that crap,' she said reassuringly.

'I know,' he replied with a sigh, 'it's just gonna be hard for a while you know, not seeing her everyday, not being able to get her advice whenever I need it. I guess I just got so used to her being around that I took for granted how important to me she was.'

'I understand Cohen, believe me I really do. I mean one day my mom was here, the next she was gone and not coming back. Trust me sweetie, it gets easier. If I can get over losing a parent, you can get over losing a friend.'

'Yeah, thanks Summer, I'm glad you're here,' he said with a smile before burying his face in her shoulder. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Summer stroking and kissing the curls on the top of his head, Seth making soft circling motions with his thumb on the small bit of exposed skin near her hip, he spoke up. 'Wait a minute, why are you here? I thought you were mad at me,' he said, raising his head to stare at her curiously.

'I was, I mean I am. It's just your mom phoned and told me what happened and although I'm not your biggest fan at the moment, I care about you too much to not be there for you when you need me.' Seth broke into his first genuine smile in hours at her words. In that moment, he knew why he loved Summer Roberts so much. Once she started caring about someone or something she'd never truly stop, she might be high maintenance and difficult to handle sometimes but when things got tough, she'd be there till the very end.

'Have I ever told you how amazing and perfect and awesome and cool and beautiful you are,' he said with a loving smile.

'Plenty of times,' Summer replied with a big grin, 'but a girl never gets tired of hearing that stuff so you can tell me again.'

'You are amazing………...and perfect…………and awesome………...and cool…………..and beautiful………….and plenty more things…………..that I can't…………..think of……………at the moment,' Seth whispered between planting small kisses up her shoulder and across her neck and jaw before finally connecting his lips with hers.

Summer immediately relaxed into the kiss. She was still angry at him but that could wait, for in that moment he needed her. He needed her and she needed to show him that she'd always be there, that he meant everything to her, like she knew she did to him.

'Do you wanna talk about this afternoon?' Seth said cautiously when they pulled apart.

'Not now,' Summer said, shaking her head and smiling. 'Right now I just wanna be here with you.' Seth just smiled and nodded before intertwining his fingers with hers and moving in for another kiss. They continued to tongue wrestle for a few minutes before Seth pulled back quickly.

'Oh before I forget,' he said, leaning over her towards his nightstand, 'she left this for you,' he added, handing her a small white envelope.

'Oh right. I was wondering why she'd left without saying goodbye. I mean I know we weren't as close as she was with you but Coop spends so much time with Ryan these days, she was quickly catching her up in the best friend rankings.'

'Yeah she said she was sorry but she just didn't have the time, she has to pack tonight and is leaving really early tomorrow.'

'Do you mind if I uhh,' Summer said, motioning to his door.

'No of course not. In fact, you stay, I'll go get something to eat. Do you want anything?'

'Umm, a diet coke would be nice thanks.'

'Okay, be back in five,' he said with a smile and one final kiss before walking off. Summer took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope.

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_Summer_

_I know we were never the greatest of friends. In fact, when I first met you, you hated my guts and I really wasn't too keen on you either. However, as I am quickly scribbling this, I think of you as one of my best friends. You may ask why, which is understandable considering we have absolutely nothing in common, you're rich I'm poor, you're straight I'm gay, you're white I'm dark, by all accounts we should hate each other. But over the last month or so we have found one thing in common that succeeded in bringing us together, we both love Seth Cohen._

_I love him like a little brother who I have to look out for and protect, whereas you are simply head over heels in love with him. I can imagine you screaming "THAT'S NOT TRUE" at this letter as you read it but you can deny it all you like, it's completely true. You know it, I know it and pretty much anyone who watches your body language when you look at him or talk to him can see it too. You've got nothing to worry about, in case you haven't already figured it out, he feels exactly the same way._

_You may not know this but the first day I met Seth, we felt so comfortable together that I actually went straight round his house after school to hang out. We were playing the playstation and I began to notice that he had a great fondness for a particular word so I decided to count how often he said it. In the hour and a half from when I started to keep count to when I left, he had said your name ninety seven times. That's over once a minute and if I'm not mistaken, you two were in some kind of fight back then too. Some people would say that's weird and creepy but we both know that's just Seth being Seth, and I think it's proof enough of how much you mean to him._

_Aside from saying goodbye, I am writing this letter for another reason, to ask something of you. I'm not gonna ask you to do anything cheesy like remember me or keep in touch (although it would be nice if you could). Nope, all I ask of you is to look after Seth. Although he likes to think he's strong and independent, we both know that Seth is the kind of guy who needs a shoulder to lean on. It used to be Ryan, then it was me, now it's your turn._

_I know you'll do great considering you love doing anything with him, whether it be hanging out with him, bickering with him or kissing him, so I imagine you'll love taking care of him too. In fact, I'm willing to bet that before you've even read this you've spent some serious time looking after him, I have no doubt that he'll make me leaving all about him and start to wallow in self-pity, its on your shoulders now to stop him from slipping into that mode._

_I only ask one more thing of you, the most important thing of all. It's something I shouldn't really need to ask but I will anyway. Just be happy Summer. Be who you want to be and do the things you want to do that will make you the happiest you can possibly be. I think we both know what and more importantly who you need to be happy, just make sure you do everything you can to hold on to it._

_Anyways, have a great life Summer, you deserve it. If you ever wanna talk or anything you have my number and my e-mail. One final word of advice, as well as being unsure as to whether or not he has your heart, Seth isn't sure if he has your trust. If I were you, I'd find some way to prove to him that he does or you run the risk of losing him._

_Love you always Summer Roberts (Cohen in the future)_

_Laura_

_xxxxx_

Summer didn't realize that she was crying until she saw the teardrops hitting the letter. She'd never been that close to Laura but that was only because she'd never got the chance. Only now that she was gone and she'd read the letter did Summer realize what a huge influence she'd been in her life. After all, it was Laura who'd given her the push that she needed to get together with Seth and for that, she'd be indebted to her forever.

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'Hey Summer we didn't have any diet coke so I just got you reg-' Seth stopped when he walked in his room to find his girlfriend curled up on his bed sniffling with tears streaming down her face. 'Oh Summer,' he said softly as he set down the glass and climbed on his bed, pulling her close and wrapping his arms round her tightly.

'Sh-she's really gone,' he heard her sob into his chest, 'a-and I-I didn't even get a chance to thank her.'

'Thank her for what?' Seth replied gently as he soothingly stroked her back.

'For making me the happiest I've ever been. I-if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't even be together.'

'How do you mean?'

'She forced me to act upon my feelings for you. I knew I liked you but was too scared to do anything about it, but she came along and forced me. That turned out to be the greatest thing anyone's e-ever d-done f-f-for me,' she said, breaking into a fresh round of sobs towards the end. Seth just smiled down at her before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

'And to think, you were the one comforting me less than half an hour ago, oh how the tables have turned,' he said amusedly. She gave an amused snort, something that caused snot to dribble from her nose. She wiped it away with her sleeve, a very un-Summer-like thing to do but Seth didn't care. He wasn't sure if it was wrong to think she still looked absolutely stunning even though she looked the worst he'd ever seen her.

'Shut up asshole,' Summer replied, trying to sound angry but she had an amused, watery-eyed smirked on her face. 'I'm bearing my heart and soul to you in this traumatic time and all you can do is continue to spout your lame jokes.'

'It's what we Cohen's do best,' he replied with a big grin, 'we're just naturally funny people, especially through the hard times. Of course it doesn't always work to our advantage and we can sometimes come across a tad insensitive. After my grandma died, my mom's mom, my dad went into joking mode a bit too quickly. I was only about six but I remember it as clear as day. We got home from the funeral and he jokingly said that at least he didn't have to worry about murdering both in-laws anymore. Honestly, the look on my moms face, it still amazes me to this day that she didn't divorce him.' Summer giggled at him before giving him a quick kiss and burying her face in his chest again. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, cuddled together as close as possible, Summer remembered something Laura had said in the letter.

"_Seth isn't sure if he has your trust. If I were you, I'd find some way to prove to him that he does or you run the risk of losing him."_

'Cohen,' she whispered into his chest.

'Hmm.'

'You know I trust you right?'

'Oh umm, yeah sure,' he replied nervously.

'Cohen,' she said sharply with an angry scowl as she looked up at his face, 'I can't believe you think I don't trust you.'

'Well I'm sorry,' he replied desperately, 'it…………….its just, you've got a funny way of showing it. I mean whenever Casey makes an appearance it always ends up with you mad at me not her.'

'I know but I guess I'm not really mad at you, you're just the easiest person to take it out on. I'm sorry,' she mumbled.

'It's okay. I trust you one hundred percent but we are never gonna work if you don't do the same for me and I'm not sure if you do. Can you look me in the eye and honestly say you trust me one hundred percent Summer?' Tears began to slide down Summer's cheeks as she looked down and shook her head. Seth felt like he had been slapped in the face.

'It…………..it's not that I don't want to trust you, believe me I want nothing more,' she whispered emotionally. 'It's just, everyone who I've ever trusted or loved has abandoned me in some way. My mom, my dad, Marissa, they've all told me they'd always be there for me, but when I really need them where are they? Nowhere to be fucking seen. I'm sorry Seth but the odds are against you, I guess I'm just scared that if I fully let you in, the same thing will happen,' she mumbled, tears falling down her face.

'Summer,' Seth replied desperately, 'just tell me I can do something, anything to gain your full trust. Just tell me and I'll do it.'

'I………….I think I just need time Cohen. I'll understand if you don't want a girlfriend who doesn't trust you and break up with me, I know you sure as hell deserve better than that, but I promise you that I will do everything I can to try and trust you completely. I do trust that you'd never intentionally hurt me, but things have a habit of all going wrong for me and I guess I'm just terrified that you'll hurt me by accident.'

'You're right, I don't deserve this, Seth mumbled, 'but I'm sure as hell not gonna break up with you, you're by far the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm gonna prove to you that I'm never gonna let you down. As for hurting you by accident, didn't we both take that risk when we got together? You could just as easily hurt me by accident as I could you, it's just a part of being a couple.'

'Can we just drop this now, it's been a horrible day and now I just wanna be with you, no fighting, no serious stuff, can we just be together please,' Summer said desperately.

'Actually no Summer, I wanna talk. We're on a roll so I think it would be best if we just get everything out in the open, resolve all this shit before it snowballs into an even bigger problem,' Seth replied strongly. 'I'll go first. I need you to know how sorry I am about this afternoon, I just jumbled my words. What I meant was I did want her to leave, but not like that. Although I don't know her, I'm just that type of guy who absolutely hates anybody being mad at them.'

'Yeah I kinda figured that after I left, I'm sorry I reacted so badly. Like I said, she's the one I'm mad at and it's just easier to take it out on you. I know that's wrong and I promise I'll try to stop doing it.'

'It's okay, I'll forgive you if you forgive me, deal?'

'Deal,' Summer replied with a smile.

'Great. So that's one thing out the way, anything you'd like to say?'

'Yeah umm, I know us together being a secret is starting to piss you off and I want you to know that I'm just not ready yet, I will be soon though, I promise,' she said reassuringly. Seth closed is eyes and took a deep breath, he knew it needed to be done but he was going to find it very difficult to talk about this issue.

'How soon?' he replied bitterly. 'Another two months? Next year? Graduation? College? I'm sorry Summer but I don't know how much longer I can take this. I wanna be able to show the world how much you mean to me,' he said desperately, tears forming in his eyes, 'I wanna be able to walk down the pier holding your hand. I wanna be able to kiss you in the hallways at school. Basically I wanna be a normal couple because right now were the most serious non-couple in Newport and I hate it,' he said frustratedly, his voice continually rising until he was almost shouting.

'Seth please,' Summer cried desperately, tears beginning to roll down her face again, 'it'll be soon I promise, you just have to trust me.'

'TRUST YOU. WHAT, LIKE YOU TRUST ME?' he shouted. 'You know what, I can't deal with this right now, I thought I could but I can't, I'm going for a walk.'

'Cohen please, where are you going, it's nearly midnight,' Summer sobbed as he got up and stormed towards his door.

'Goodbye Summer,' he said firmly without looking over his shoulder as he walked out his door. Summer wanted to go after him so badly but she just couldn't muster the energy, the day had taken her well out of her emotional comfort zone and had left her feeling drained and depressed. Instead she just collapsed back onto his bed and cried hysterically into his pillow.

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Seth sat himself down on the barstool and put his head in his hands. He felt like crying over the fact that his life had gone from awesome to sucky in the space of like a day. He had had it all yesterday but now where was he, back to square one. No friends, no life, possibly no girlfriend. He knew Summer would be pissed off at him for leaving like that but he didn't care, he was too pissed off at her to care.

Seth didn't know how could she do that to him, talk about the future like they really had one together but then tell him she was too ashamed of him to let people know they were a couple. The fact that his best friend was gone also succeeded in making everything bad seem worse. He was pissed off at her too, didn't she know that he needed her, she was the yin to his yang. She was the only person he could rely on to stop himself from breaking down and spiralling out of control whenever things got tough, kinda like he was now. That was how he'd ended up in this seedy bar on the edge of town after all.

'Hey buddy what's up, you look a little downtrodden,' the bartender said as he walked over to Seth.

'Yeah well why wouldn't I be. My brother's too busy screwing his girlfriend to make time for me, my best friend just skipped town with the shittiest, most short-notice goodbye ever, and my girlfriend is too ashamed of me to be seen in public with me,' Seth replied dejectedly.

'Whoa, and I thought I had problems, tough break man. Here,' the bartender said while pulling out a shot glass and a bottle of Jack Daniels, 'first shot's on the house, this oughta cheer you up.'

'Cheers man,' Seth said before raising his glass and downing it in one. The liquid burned as it trickled down his throat but it felt so damn good. Seth grinned at the bartender. 'How much for the rest of the bottle?'

'Call it thirty,' the barman replied. Seth pulled out the money and handed it over before discarding the shot glass and taking another gulp straight from the bottle. 'Have fun kid and remember, if you stagger home and your parents ask where you got so drunk, it wasn't here got it?' Seth just nodded before the bartender walked off, leaving him to drown his sorrows in whiskey alone.

Alone, Seth hated that word more than any other. He had firsthand knowledge of what that word was all about from the first sixteen years of his life and things were going so shitty for him, he wouldn't be surprised if he was experiencing it again pretty soon.

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Summer was worried. No, she was more than worried, she was absolutely fucking terrified. She'd never seen Seth like that before. When he'd left he had looked so angry yet so dejected, he had looked like a broken shell of the chirpy, funny, upbeat Seth Cohen that she knew and loved.

After he had left, Summer had spent the best part of an hour sobbing hysterically into Kirsten's lap about how it was all her fault that he was out there doing God knows what. She told her about how she had some seriously fucked up issues, how she just couldn't seem to trust him even though she knew he worshipped her like a Goddess, how she couldn't acknowledge their togetherness in public, how she loved him so much but because of her stupidity she was losing him.

Kirsten had been great about it despite Summer knowing that she was going through hell what with her son being missing in the middle of the night. She had comforted her like a mother would a daughter, holding her close and stroking her hair while constantly reassuring her that it wasn't her fault.

After she had gotten Summer to calm down, she had ordered her to take long relaxing bath because there was no way she was letting her go home to an empty house in her current state. Summer had taken a bath, though it hadn't really done any good as she would be soaking herself and suddenly break into the odd fit of despairing sobs whenever she thought about her perfect boyfriend currently being missing in action.

When she got out of the bath, Summer put on a pair of Seth's boxers and one of his dorkier t-shirts, one with a picture of Mr T on. It had a lingering scent of his aftershave and that was enough to make her want to burst into a fresh round of hysterics. It was nearly two in the morning but Summer felt more awake than she'd ever felt, not in the "I'm so buzzed right now I can't sleep" way, more in the "I'm so terrified that the guy I love could be lying somewhere dead right now, I can't possibly sleep" kind of way.

Summer trudged downstairs to find Kirsten, Sandy, Ryan and Marissa sat on the couch with worried looks on their faces. 'Any news?' she asked desperately, practically begging them to tell her that he was home and safe. Ryan shook his head and that was all it took for her to burst into huge, uncontrollable sobs again. Sandy being the closest to her, got up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. She buried her face in his shoulder.

'Shhhh, there there kiddo, it's gonna be okay.'

'This………….is all………….my fault,' Summer managed to mumble out between sobs.

'No no trust me honey, Seth's never been the best at handling things when the going gets tough, he would've done this even if you two hadn't fought so don't blame yourself.' Summer just nodded into his shoulder but she couldn't stop crying.

'It's okay Sandy, I got it from here,' Kirsten said as she got up and took Summer from him. She herself was as pale as a ghost and looked like she wanted to vomit. 'Lets get you to bed sweetie, you need to get some rest.'

'SLEEP,' Summer shrieked, 'are you insane, I can't sleep when my boyfriend is out there.'

'Summer it's for the best, you'll end up damaging yourself if you don't calm down. I promise you that as soon as we hear anything we'll wake you up.'

'Promise.'

'Promise, now come on, I've got some sleeping tablets that oughta help.' Kirsten practically carried Summer upstairs, she was limp and completely lifeless apart from the odd cracked sob that escaped her lips, she looked ill. Kirsten put her in Seth's bed and tucked her in tightly like a mother would do for a five year old. She then made her take a couple of powerful sleeping tablets. She sat with Summer, stroking her beautiful hair until she saw she was getting drowsy, struggling to keep her eyes open. 'Goodnight sweetie,' she said, bending down and giving her a soft kiss on the forehead.

'Night mommy,' Summer mumbled drowsily with her eyes closed, 'I love you.'

Despite wanting to break down just like her, Kirsten couldn't help but smile at her slip of the tongue. 'I love you too sweetie, I love you too.'

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Seth staggered down the dark street singing "All By Myself" at the top of his lungs. After he had finished his bottle of whiskey, he had asked for another one but the barman had refused, saying he was already drunk enough and he should go home. This had prompted him to hurl every insult known to man at the bartender as well as creating a few of his own, earning himself a black eye and a boot up the ass out the door.

He had managed to locate a 24/7 store and with the help of his trusty fake ID, buy himself a large bottle of vodka. He had passed being just wasted about half an hour ago and was now on the verge of losing consciousness in one of the roughest areas in town, not a good idea by all accounts.

'WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP,' a homeless guy with one leg shouted at him from the doorway he was laid in.

'Hey you shut up buttface,' Seth slurred at the guy. 'Make me asswipe. What you gonna do about it, hop after me,' he added drunkenly before bursting into giggles at his own lame joke. He felt his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket for about the thousandth time. When were whoever it was gonna get the message and fuck off, he didn't want to talk to them.

'Fuck you you little shit, I may be one-legged but I can still kick your scrawny ass,' the bum snarled in reply.

'Oh yeah, well at least I've got a house,' Seth smirked, 'I may not have any friends but at least I've got a house, you've got neither dickhead,' he slurred before turning and staggering off, ignoring the screams of rage from the guy. He had no idea where he was going, he'd long lost all sense of direction.

Seth continued to amble along the sidewalk, drunkenly mumbling to himself about random things from the war in Iraq to Mortal Combat, until something across the street caught his eye. Two stray dogs having sex. He began to howl with laughter. He staggered out into the road and stopped when he got close enough to watch it. Normally he wouldn't have found it very funny but since he was totally hammered, it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen.

Seth couldn't control his laughter, he collapsed and began to pound his fist on the floor. He was interrupted though when he heard a deafening noise. He stood up and turned round and was instantly struck by a blinding light. He put his hand to his face to try and see what it was. The noise was getting louder and louder and by the time that Seth realized it was a car horn, it was too late.

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**A/N – (shocked gasp) Hope you all like. Last chapter got a great response (15 reviews) and they are what inspired me to write this. I would be eternally grateful if this chapter could get an equally good response. Also, I'm going to start trying to personally respond to reviews because I feel that you guys deserve my personal thanks. Anyways, leave a review and next chapter up soon hopefully. Thanks.**


	20. A few feet

**A/N – Thanks for the awesome reviews folks. Here's the next instalment, please leave a review.**

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The guy walked up the driveway, staring in wonderment at the massive house. He wondered why the hell the kid had been standing in the middle of the road, all alone, completely wasted, in the middle of the night, in one of the shadiest neighbourhoods in town when apparently, he had it all. Nice house, nice cars, the high life in general, the only explanation was that there was some truth in the cliché that money couldn't buy happiness.

He approached the front door with caution, knowing that if this was the wrong house he was most likely about to make some very powerful people in Newport incredibly pissed off. This must be the house, it was the address on the kid's ID. What the hell was this kid's deal anyway, standing in the middle of the road, what kind of moron does that, even when they're drunk?

The guy was reluctant to ring the bell, he knew he had to do it for his own peace of mind but what if the people inside got angry even if it was the right house. He knew that some of these rich bastards cared more about making money than their own flesh and blood.

He hated to be the bearer of crappy news, especially on the holidays but he felt obligated to explain the situation to the kid's family. He looked at the door, lights were shining through small window panes which probably meant that someone was still awake. It made him feel better in one way because it meant that they were probably awake waiting for this kid to come home, but in another it made him feel worse because it meant that they were concerned about him. He had managed to get a quick peek of the kid's phone, it had had about a hundred missed calls flashing on the screen, someone had definitely been worried about him.

Not knowing how these people were going to react but knowing that he had to tell them, the guy took a deep breath and gave a sharp ring on the doorbell. The door flew open violently within a matter of seconds to reveal a tired and concerned looking couple in their early forties.

'Yes.'

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Summer was awoken from her restless sleep by the doorbell ringing. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, she was in her boyfriend's room. She could tell without even opening her eyes by the familiar scent that she loved, a mixture of his deodorant, the detergent his clothes were washed in and his natural smell. She always told him he smelt horrible when he got up first thing in the morning but secretly she loved it, she loved him, everything about him, from his gorgeous smile right down to his annoying little quirks and flaws that made him who he was.

Summer turned her head to the side to look at the clock but even found that difficult. She didn't know why she felt so drained, as far as she could remember she and Seth hadn't had sex in two days and it was only after that that she normally felt this physically exhausted.

3:57, who the hell comes calling at this time in the fucking morning? She groaned and flung her arm to the side, expecting to feel her boyfriend sleeping peacefully, he had always been a deep sleeper, unlike her who was woken up by the tiniest of noises. However, she hit nothing but his soft mattress. Summer thought it was odd that she was curled up snugly in his bed sheets at four in the morning while he was nowhere to be seen. She was feeling groggy and she couldn't get her brain to kick into gear. The all of a sudden, it all came flooding back.

Casey showing up, her storming off, Laura moving away, the comforting, the letter, the tears, the serious talk, the shouting, the anger and Seth going missing. OH SHIT, Seth going missing and the doorbell ringing at four am.

Summer launched off the bed and flew out the room faster than the speed of light. The sleeping drugs still hadn't worn off and she was all over the place, she could barely move in a straight line and her legs felt like jelly but she refused to stop, she needed to know that her boyfriend was okay.

She bounded down the stairs three at a time, not a good idea considering she was heavily medicated; she barely avoided tripping and tumbling down headfirst. Her heart was in her mouth and her pulse was pounding, it was the most scared she'd ever been, it just had to be good news, she didn't think she'd be able to handle bad. As Summer staggered down the stairs, she did something that she hadn't done since she was a little girl, she prayed.

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'I'm sorry you've got the wrong house.'

'Oh umm are you sure?'

'I'm pretty damn sure he doesn't live here now can you please leave,' Sandy replied, starting to get frustrated.

'SETH. SETH,' Summer shrieked as she appeared from nowhere. 'Where's Seth, is he alright?' she added to Kirsten in a panicky voice.

'Sorry sweetie, false alarm,' Kirsten replied miserably as she wrapped a comforting arm round her shoulder. 'This guy's got the wrong house, he's talking about some guy called William Foster.' Summer let out a despairing, emotion filled sigh, struggling to hold back the tears. She buried her face in Kirsten's shoulder but snapped it up a few seconds later.

'WAIT, did you just say William Foster?' she asked desperately to which Kirsten replied with a nod. 'THAT'S SETH'S FAKE ID NAME,' she shouted, 'OH MY GOD PLEASE TELL ME HE'S OKAY,' she shrieked at the guy.

'Yes and no,' the guy replied unhelpfully.

'You're gonna have to be a bit more specific than that,' Sandy said angrily, starting to get frustrated at the guy's casualness.

'No in the sense that he's passed out in the back of my car, most likely with some form of alcohol poisoning. Yes in the sense that he's a very lucky boy to be alive. He was stood in the middle of the road down on Mayfield Drive, I nearly crashed my car swerving to avoid him.'

They all let out huge sighs of relief before Kirsten and Summer both broke into tears of joy at the fact that he was okay. Knowing that he was alright and needing to see him, Summer burst out the door past the guy and down the driveway towards his car. She didn't have anything on her feet and the concrete was freezing but she didn't care, all she cared about was getting to him. She reached the car and threw the rear door open, and there he was, in all his unconscious glory.

'Cohen,' she sobbed before throwing herself on top of his unmoving body and wrapping her arms round him tightly like he was the most precious thing in the world. He reeked of whiskey, which Summer knew was not a good thing considering he'd always been a bit of a lightweight. A few seconds later the other three appeared at the door, Kirsten still bawling her eyes out and Sandy practically squeezing the guys hand off he was shaking it so hard.

'Thank you so much for bringing him back, as you can probably tell we've been worried sick all night. He doesn't normally do this but the holidays can be a little hard sometimes you know, and this one's just been extra crappy for him.'

'Don't worry about it, just make sure that if he ever gets drunk in future, he doesn't do it on his own. He was just stood in the middle of the road, mumbling to himself, he really is very lucky to be alive, I must've missed him by a few feet at most'

'Oh don't you worry about that. By the looks of it, he's gonna have such a huge hangover tomorrow that I'm sure he'll never want to drink again.'

'Yeah, so do you need any help getting him out?'

'Nah that's okay, I got him.'

'Sweetie you're gonna have to move for us okay,' Kirsten said softly to Summer, still sniffling quite a bit. Summer didn't acknowledge her request because she didn't hear it. She had blocked herself off from the rest of the world, as far as she was concerned it was her and Seth in a little world of their own in the back seat of the car, and she was intent on staying as close as she could to his unconscious form for as long as possible. 'Summer,' Kirsten said a little louder but still got no response. 'SUMMER,' she finally shouted after losing her patience.

'I'm sorry what?' Summer said, snapping back to reality.

'Could you move please, we need to get him out.'

'Okay,' Summer replied reluctantly. She really didn't want to let go of him, she never wanted to go a single minute without touching him ever again. She moved off him and out the door, using the time to wipe the tears from her face as Sandy somewhat ungracefully dragged him out the car.

'Thank you so much again,' Sandy said to the guy, 'is your car okay, he didn't puke in it did he? Is there any way we can possibly repay you?'

'Just forget about it okay,' the guy replied with a smile. 'Anyways I best be off, I hope he's okay tomorrow. Happy holidays, well not really for you guys but you know what I mean.' He hopped in his car and gave them a wave which Kirsten returned before pulling out the driveway.

'Come on honey, let's get you to bed,' Kirsten cooed in her unconscious son's ear before turning and walking off towards the house, Sandy dragging the lifeless Seth behind her and Summer following them closely.

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Sandy plopped Seth down on his bed and rolled him onto his stomach. 'Well I don't know about you guys but I am shattered, I'm going to bed.' Kirsten nodded and went to follow him out the door but stopped when she heard Summer begin to climb into Seth's bed.

'What are you doing sweetie?'

'What's it look like, I'm staying with him.'

'That's really not a good idea Summer,' Sandy said as he walked back in to see what was going on. 'He's so drunk I wouldn't be surprised if he vomited everywhere or peed himself in his sleep.'

'Well I don't care, I'm not leaving him,' Summer replied fiercely. Summer never thought she'd see the day where she wouldn't be bothered to be in a situation where she was highly likely to get puked and/or pissed on, she needed to be with him though. As far as she was concerned, she wouldn't have complete peace of mind until she was gazing into his beautiful brown eyes. Kirsten sighed at the teen's stubbornness.

'Okay honey it's your choice, see you in the morning.' Sandy and Kirsten turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. Summer began to slowly undress Seth. She smiled for the first time in hours due to the fact that he looked so cute, so peaceful, like he didn't have a care in the world even though she knew that was far from the truth. She stripped him down to his boxers before climbing in his bed and snuggling up to him as close as possible. She placed small kisses up his chest and neck before placing a lingering peck on his soft lips.

Summer drew back and studied his face, whenever she stared at him when he was awake he always got self-conscious and looked away, blushing and mumbling. This though, was the perfect opportunity to look at him and touch him in ways that he would consider weird if he were awake. She ran her hands across his face, softly touching all the features she loved so much. The full cheeks, the smooth jawbone, the cute nose, the chin with that adorable little indent, the ears that had soft curly hair covering them.

'I…………..I don't know why I can't say this when you can actually hear me,' Summer whispered softly, stroking his cheek gently, 'but I really do love you Cohen. I know, me falling in love with a geek like you, it's crazy. I mean I never thought I would ever be truly in love, let alone fall head over heels for the biggest loser in school in like four months. But I've learnt to accept it, no, not just accept it, want it. I want to be in love with you and I want so badly to tell you that I am, but I just can't yet, not until I sort out all my fucked up issues. But I promise you, I love you and I'm not goin anywhere, we're gonna go through everything together, the good times and the bad, and come out stronger than ever, I just know it.'

Summer wiped away the tears forming in her eyes before leaning down and placing a final lingering kiss on his lips and wrapping her arms around him even more tightly, nestling up to him as close as possible and resting her head on his chest. With thoughts echoing in her mind about the crappy holiday and their somewhat strained relationship that they would have to talk about when he regained consciousness, Summer fell into a restless slumber.

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Not for the first time in his life, Seth woke up wishing he was dead. It used to be because his life was so shitty, he was sick and tired of having absolutely no one and sometimes he would get up in the morning wishing it would all just end, but this time? This time it was for and entirely different reason, he imagined death would be much more bearable than the tremendous amount of physical pain he was in. He hadn't even opened his eyes yet but he could already feel the room spinning around him like a rollercoaster and he felt his stomach churning rapidly, not in a way that said he was hungry, more in a way that said he really needed to vomit.

Seth groaned and used all the energy he could muster to open one eye. The room wasn't even that light but it was as blinding as the sun to him and caused a sharp pain to shoot through his head. He looked at the clock, 11 in the morning, weird. The last thing he remembered was storming out on his girlfriend at about midnight, the eleven hours that had passed between then and now were blank.

Seth rolled over and was instantly hit by the most breathtaking sight he would ever see. He was staring into the pair of beautiful, deep brown eyes that he always found himself getting so easily lost in. Although he loved everything about her physical appearance and considered every inch of her to be absolutely magnificent, to him her eyes were by far her most striking physical quality. They were just so deep, sometimes so mysterious yet sometimes so revealing. On occasions when she was reluctant to share her thoughts and feelings, they were the only way he could read her, they were the only way she could never hide from him and that was why he loved to stare into them so much.

'Hey sleepyhead,' Summer said gently as she brought her hand up to stroke his hair, 'how you feeling?'

'Like I've been repeatedly bludgeoned with a metal pole and then stamped on a couple of times for good luck,' he whispered in response. His voice was croaky and just moving his jaw to speak was causing a dull thud to echo in his head. Summer giggled at his typically descriptive and long-winded response. He could've just said "like shit" but that wouldn't have been very Coheny.

'That's a hangover Cohen,' she said through her giggles, 'and it's no more than you deserve for being such an assface.'

'Yeah uhh, how long have you been here?'

'I slept over, hence the dorky t-shirt and pair of smelly old boxers,' she said with a smile while motioning up and down her body.

'Oh right, how long have you been awake then?'

'Oh not long.' That was a lie. Summer had woken up at six in the morning in tears and cold sweats after a horrible nightmare in which Seth hadn't come home. After that she hadn't been able to sleep again so she'd spent the last five hours just watching him sleep peacefully. She hadn't left his side once even though she was starving and dying for the loo.

'So uhh, what happened last night?'

'Well, Casey showed up and I left because I overreacted and got angry at you. Then Laura told you she was moving so I came back to comfort you. Then we got into this stupid fight and you left.'

'I know all that,' Seth replied with a roll of his eyes, 'I meant what happened after I left.'

Well I'm not sure, I wasn't there remember. I'm pretty sure that you got incredibly drunk and then got into a fight.'

'A fight,' he snorted, 'not likely, you know I'm shit scared of any kind of confrontation.'

'Well your huge shiner tells a different story,' she said with a smile before reaching up and lightly touching the purple bruising. Seth winced and pulled back, even the slightest of touches hurt like hell but it had apparently triggered some repressed memories as last night came flooding back to him. 'Sorry,' Summer said sheepishly, seeing that her gentle touch had hurt him.

'It's okay, I remember now though. I had a full bottle of Jack Daniels to myself,' he said, causing Summer to gasp and shake her head in disapproval, 'then I asked for another one but the barman wouldn't serve me. That prompted me to call him a "son of a whore" among other things. He responded by punching me in the face and kicking me out the door. Oh God,' he added embarrassedly, 'I almost got into another fight with a one-legged tramp.' Summer burst into a fit of loud giggles at his words, causing him to wince and cover his ears. In his current state he was finding that any noise too loud went through him like a steam train.

'Good job it was only almost a fight,' she said through giggles, 'because we both know that you would've got your ass kicked, even if you were sober.' Seth just grinned and nodded before a comfortable silence enveloped them. After a minute or so, Seth spoke up.

'I'm so sorry Summer,' he whispered gently while stroking her hair, 'I'm sorry for all the shit I put you through yesterday. Casey, the fighting, me going AWOL, I'm just so sorry for it all. If I could take it all back I would.' Summer just shook her head throughout his whole speech.

'Just forget about it okay. You said and did some things that were stupid, I said and did some things that were stupid, were both stupid.' Seth just nodded at her words. 'Okay, maybe you were a little more stupid than me,' she added teasingly, 'but its okay, lets just forget yesterday ever happened.'

'So you're not mad?' he asked in a surprised tone.

'Oh no, I'm livid, but my relief and happiness that you're alright far outweighs my anger.' Seth smiled at her words.

'Thanks, you're amazing,' he said while pushing his face close to hers and cutely rubbing noses with her. 'I'll never do anything so stupid again, I promise.'

'Good because you really scared me last night Seth,' Summer whispered, her lower lip beginning to tremble with emotion. 'I was in hysterics. Your mom had to give me a sedative to calm me down, do you have any idea how embarrassing that is,' she added, struggling to hold in her tears. 'Do you remember what you said to me the day we got together?' Seth just shook his head weakly, trying to contain his own tears. 'You said that as long as I wanted you in my life you'd always be there. Well I've never wanted or needed anyone in my life more than I want and need you, and you almost broke your promise last night, you almost left me.'

'What are you talking about Summer,' Seth said strongly. 'I wouldn't break that promise, I would never leave you, you're more important to me than anyone else too. So we had a fight, me leaving you was never in the equation.'

'Yes it was Seth,' Summer said frustratedly, tears pouring down her face now, 'you just didn't know it. You were stood in the middle of the road last night. The guy that bought you home nearly hit you and if he had, you……………you would've died. He missed you by a few feet Seth, A FEW FUCKING FEET. That's all there was between you keeping your promise and breaking it. Now can you see why I find it so hard to trust you,' she sobbed, burying her face in his chest.

Seth just pulled her into him as tightly as possible and let her cry. He himself was crying and had a stunned look on his face. Everything she'd said had been true. She really shouldn't trust him if he was going to do stupid things like last night. She was right, his idiocy had nearly left her all alone again. He hadn't meant to but that was not the point, the point was that if she had done the same, he highly doubted he would be able to trust her.

'I'm so sorry Summer I-I……….…….I just…...' Seth couldn't speak. There were no words in his vocabulary that could describe how sorry and shitty he felt about the whole ordeal. He loved Summer more than life itself, and knowing that he had let her down like everyone else she had ever cared about, made his heart snap in two.

'It's okay,' she sniffled, looking up at him with puffy eyes. 'Like I said, I'm just happy you're okay. I played some part in last nights events too so I just want to forget it ever happened, let's never mention this thanksgiving again okay.'

'If that's what you want,' he mumbled, wiping his own tears away. 'But just so you know, I lo-' he was cut off by Summer pressing her lips against his in a loving embrace.

'You don't have to say that just to make me feel better,' she said with a watery-eyed smile when they pulled apart.

'I know but I want to.'

'Well I umm, I'm not ready yet Cohen, I wanna sort out all my crazy issues before we take that step. Hearing you say it would be amazing but I just…………I wouldn't be able to say it back so I think you should wait, I'm sorry.'

'It's okay, anything for you,' he said with a smile before pressing his lips against hers again. The made out for a little while before Seth suddenly stopped and pulled back.

'What is it?' Summer asked curiously.

'I uhh………….I-I…………..I gotta-' before he could finish, he spun round and vomited heavily into his waste basket.

'EWWW. COHEN, couldn't you have made it to the toilet? Besides, I thought the whole making out thing was leading somewhere.' Seth responded by erupting into a fresh round of puking. 'Humph, some turn on this is, way to ruin the mood assface,' Summer said sulkily with an annoyed scowl.

'Like I've said before Summer,' Seth managed to choke out between coughs and splutters, 'it's what I do best.'

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Two hours later, the two teens were cuddled together on his bed. They had been downstairs to get food and aspirin for him and had been met by his parents, Ryan and Marissa, all of whom had given him disgusted looks. His parents had said that because he looked ill, they would wait till later to shout at him but he was grounded until further notice and was banned from pudding, playstation and comics for a long, long time.

Marissa had made a snide remark but Seth had just snapped at her, telling her she could shut her mouth because she was ten times the alcoholic screw-up he would ever be, and that last night he had merely repeated her everyday routine. This had prompted her to run out the house crying, closely followed by an enraged looking Ryan. Seth didn't care though, he felt too shitty to care about those two, or the punishment his parents were lining up for him for that matter. He only cared about two things, getting rid of his stupid hangover and more importantly, showing the love of his life how sorry he was for royally screwing up last night.

'Cohen.'

'Hmm.'

'Can I ask………….uhh………….what finally pushed you over the edge and made you spiral out of control? Me overreacting about Casey, Laura leaving or me not wanting to go public about us yet?'

'Uhh, I guess it was a mixture of all of the above. It's just, it turned into one of the worst days of my life and I uhh, I guess I just couldn't deal, it just got a bit too much. But I promise, I'll never deal with my problems so stupidly again. As long as I've got you I'll be fine.'

'I understand Cohen. When my mom left I couldn't deal with it all so I went on a slut spiral, made out with about ten guys a night, started dishing out handjobs like they were candy. Eventually though I just learnt to hold in the pain, keep it to myself and put on a strong front.'

'You don't have to do that in front of me though you know. If everything ever gets a bit too much you can show your emotions to me. Actually, I happen to think you look so fucking sexy when you're a mess.' Summer giggled at his comment and gave him a playful slap.

'I know, same goes for you too. Don't turn into a wastiod like you did last night, just let it all out in front of me and I'll help you. I'll let you be my shoulder to cry on if you let me be yours.'

'You got it,' he said with a big grin before moving in for a loving kiss.

'How are you feeling now?' Summer asked concernedly when they pulled apart.

'A lot better thanks. I don't wanna puke anymore and my headache's gone, I just feel weak and lethargic. Amazingly, I don't wanna eat anything either, that's a first for me.' Summer laughed at him before getting off his bed and walked to his door before popping her head out and peeking down the corridor.

'Where are you parents Cohen?' she asked when she walked back in.

'They went out for the rest of the day, why?' A mischievous smile appeared on her face at his words.

'You know what I think you need to make you feel better Cohen, a shower.' With that, she peeled off his t-shirt and boxers that she was still wearing, leaving her in all her naked glory, before turning and sauntering towards the bathroom. 'You coming,' she added with a sexy grin over her shoulder when she noticed he hadn't moved. He smirked and nodded before jumping up and stripping himself down to nothingness.

'You better believe I'm coming.'

'Well actually,' she said seductively while turning and walking back towards him and grasping his already hardening manhood, 'You're not yet but believe me, if I have my way with you, you will be pretty damn soon.' With that, she turned and walked sexily towards the bathroom again, making sure he had a clear view of her ass before disappearing round the doorframe.

Seth grinned excitedly, he looked like a five year old on Christmas day. He grabbed the box of condoms from his nightstand before running into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The only sounds that could be heard throughout the mansion were the giggles of the two teens, followed a few minutes later by load moans of ecstasy.

As they rocked together in harmony and took each other to new levels of pleasure under the warm shower water, they both thought about the last twenty four hours. It had been one of the worst days in recent memory for both of them. Friends lost, issues revealed, drinking, near death experiences and worst of all, constant fighting. Yes it had definitely been a holiday to forgot but at least one good thing had come out of it, they had both learnt that the age old cliché was completely true, makeup sex was totally HOT!!

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**After all the drama in recent chapters I thought it was important to throw in a relatively drama free and almost fluffy one. Anyways, please let me know what you think.**


	21. Sex games and secrets

**A/N – WTF PEOPLE?? Only 6 reviews for the last chapter. I'm not greedy but I'm used to more than that. Reviews are what inspire me to write and the less I get, the longer it takes for me to get a new chapter up. Anyways, lecture over but it would be greatly appreciated if reviews could pick up again, this story is on the favourites list of over 20 people after all.**

**Warning – Some sexual content in this one.**

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'Oh my God I am so bored, can we please just like, make out or something.'

'For God's sake give it up Cohen. Your constant whining is driving me crazy. Besides, I have things to do.'

'What, reading Cosmo and People? Yeah because that's so much more important than keeping your boyfriend happy.' Summer smirked at him and nodded before turning back to her magazine.

'It is Cohen. If I walked into school on Monday not knowing that Britney had come out of rehab over the weekend, I would be ridiculed. I'm just expected to know this shit, its part of being a popular girl.'

'And part of being a good girlfriend is making out with your boyfriend when he wants to,' Seth whined. Summer just shook her head defiantly, not tearing her eyes away from the article entitled "10 tips for a better orgasm." Not that she needed to read it, Seth just seemed to get better and better the more her love for him grew.

They were laid on his bed seeing as he was still grounded and not allowed to leave his house. Summer was laid on her stomach with the magazine in front of her while Seth was sat with her bare feet in his lap, gently massaging them. She had been on a shopping escapade with Marissa that morning and her feet were killing her so a foot massage was the best present anyone could've given her at that moment in time.

The best part was that she hadn't even had to ask Seth for one. She had just told him she had been walking around South Coast all morning and her feet hurt like hell, and it was like an automatic response from him. That was another one of his traits that she loved, the fact that he just seemed to know what to do to make her happy and he would do it without her even having to ask.

It had been two weeks since thanksgiving and although everything seemed to be okay and they were both back to being more than happy, there was a thick tension in the air that neither were willing to acknowledge. They had not talked anymore about all the issues that had arisen that holiday, instead they had covered them up and ignored them by ceasing all serious talk, choosing to focus on bickering and banter instead, and having lots and lots of sex.

Both knew that it was definitely not the best way to handle things, but both were too scared to make the first move in fear of starting an argument. To put it simply, they both knew a storm was brewing but were ignoring it in the hope that it would go away when in fact, their reluctance to discuss their problems were only succeeding in making them bigger.

Summer groaned when she felt him stop rubbing her feet and flop down on top of her. He was like a blanket, a great big, nine stone lump of a blanket. He wasn't really hurting her, it was actually sending her all warm and fuzzy inside. She loved being under him, in both this way and the more dirty way.

'What ya reading,' he mumbled into the back of her neck before putting his head on her shoulder and looking at the magazine. '10 tips for a better orgasm,' he read out loud. 'God, am I that crappy that you need advice on how to get off?' he said with a scowl.

'Yep,' Summer replied with a giggle, 'you suck.'

'Oh really,' he replied with raised eyebrows, 'so all that moaning and screaming my name last night was all fake then was it?'

'Yep, all fake,' she countered with a grin.

'Wow, you really have watched "When Harry Met Sally" too many times because you do a really good fake orgasm. What about the sweating, the going bright red all over, the violent shaking, was that all faked too then?'

'Yup. I'm very skilled at looking like I'm having fun when bucking up and down on top of you, when actually I'm bored out of my brain, not feeling a thing and debating whether to have pizza or chicken for dinner,' she said with a teasing smirk.

'Wow Summer, that really hurts you know,' he said in a mock pained voice, his eyes closed for added effect.

'Well that was my plan. You must've realized by now that since I've known you, brutally shattering your fragile self-esteem has become one of my favourite pastimes.'

'I had a sneaking suspicion. And the worst part is, now matter how often you do it I still come back for more,' he replied with a sigh. 'Oh why did it have to be you I fell for?'

'You know you love me really Cohen,' Summer said with a sweet smile over her shoulder. Seth grinned and shrugged.

'You have brief spells where you're tolerable, only just mind you.'

'Cohen,' she said sharply while nudging his side, a sign that he took to mean she wanted him to get off her. He pushed himself up by his forearms so he was hovering a few inches above her and she flipped herself over so she was on her back looking up at him. It was a very familiar position that they both loved but they were used to having no clothes on when in it. 'How much do you love me?' she asked, staring up at him with a big grin.

'Oh not that much. You're on par with my old Labrador Rufus that died when I was seven.' Summer smirked and snaked her hand down the small space between them into his boxers and grabbed his dick. She grinned when she saw his eyes widen as she began to stroke up and down his manhood.

'Wrong answer Cohen. I'll ask again, how much do you love me?'

'If you keep doing that then you're gonna move about ten places up my favourite person list,' he moaned as he felt himself begin to harden rapidly in her hand.

'A bit better but still not enough,' Summer replied with a sweet smile, increasing the speed of her motions when she knew he was at his full length.

'Oh umm okay,' he said with a shaky breath. 'You umm, you're level with my cousins in New York that I hardly ever see. I uhh, I really shouldn't be thinking of them while you're doing this, that's like incest or somethin.' Summer giggled at him. He was still a dork even when she was doing naughty things to him.

'Uh huh. Keep going Cohen.'

'Umm, oh I got it,' he said with his eyes closed and a grin on his face. 'Marissa, you're equal with Marissa. She's pretty close to me and it's alright for me to think of her when you're doing this because she's hot.' Summer halted her actions, causing him to snap open his eyes and pout at her.

'If you think of my best friend again while I'm doing this, I will seriously hurt you,' she said threateningly but she still had a smile on her face. 'Remember, I have pretty sharp nails and could instantly turn your pleasure into intense pain. Besides, I think I'm more important to you than Coop, you're gonna have to do better than that.' She started stroking him again, watching in satisfaction as a rosy pink tint crept onto his cheeks.

'Umm, oh God, COMICS. I care about you more than comics and you know how much they mean to me.'

'Getting there,' Summer said with a big grin, she loved to torture him. She carried on stroking him but after a while of hearing nothing but his groans of pleasure, she spoke up. 'Cohen, I'm not hearing how much you love me. If I'm not sure I'm important to you I don't think I should be doing this, I'll stop.'

'NO, umm okay, umm, Playstation. You're way cooler than playstation.'

'Wow, that's pretty high up on the list of things you love,' she replied, increasing her speed as a reward for his sweetness. 'Still not satisfied though Cohen.'

'Umm, uhh, oh okay, umm….…' Seth couldn't speak anymore, he was closing in rapidly. His breathing had increased to fast, ragged breaths and he could feel sweat beginning to accumulate on his forehead.

'Cohen, I can't hear you,' Summer singsonged with a teasing grin, slowing down ever so slightly, knowing it was exactly what he didn't want.

'Okay umm oh, NOTHING.'

'What?'

'There is nothing in the world more important to me than you. You are by far the most amazing, beautiful, perfect thing I've ever seen in my entire life and ever will,' he panted. Summer beamed at him. She knew she was forcing him to say it with her sexual games but it didn't matter because she knew that he meant it and he'd say it even if she wasn't jerking him off. She leant up and gave him a passionate kiss as she sped up her stroking motion. She felt him begin to throb in her hand and finally explode inside his boxers.

Summer watched with a satisfied smirk as he moaned and panted loudly before his arms gave way and he collapsed on top of her. She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, 'that's all I wanted to hear Cohen,' before shoving him off, sitting up and wiping her hand on his bed sheets. 'You liked that didn't you?' she said with a grin. Seth just glared at her.

'You Summer Roberts, are a cheater, you're breaking the rules.'

'What rules?'

'No using sex as a weapon to get what you want, it's not fair.'

'Since when has that been a rule?'

'Since just now when I just made it a rule.'

'Well I've never been one to play by the rules. Anyway, why don't you like it?'

'I guess I'm just embarrassed and annoyed that you've got me so completely and utterly whipped,' he mumbled.

'And that's the way I like it. As long as you stay whipped, you'll be getting sex regularly so I honestly don't see what your problem is. You get what you want, I get what I want, it's a win-win situation. Anyways, I gotta go, see ya later baby,' she said, leaning forward and capturing him in a passionate kiss.

'Where are you going?' Seth asked curiously when they parted.

'I gotta go meet my dad,' she replied with an unhappy sigh, 'he's in town for a couple of days between conferences and wants to "catch up" which basically means making sure I'm still alive before fucking off for another month.'

'Do you uhh, want me to come with you, you know, for uhh, emotional support or whatever?' Summer smiled at the sweetness of his words.

'Of course I would Cohen but you're grounded remember.'

'Yeah but I think my parents would let me out for important things like meeting my girlfriend's dad for the first time. Hold on a sec, I'll just go ask them.' Seth got up and changed into a fresh, non jizz-covered pair of boxers before putting on some jeans and walking out the room.

Summer began having second thoughts. She had always told Seth how fucked up her father and step-monster were, she knew he thought she was exaggerating too. If he was allowed to go, he would discover that everything she'd ever told him was true and she wasn't sure if she was ready to let him see that. It was a part of her life she was ashamed of and wanted to keep him from seeing for as long as possible.

Seth reappeared at his door with a big smile on his face. 'They say its okay,' he said giddily, 'I'll get changed then we can go.' He bounded round his room happily, changing into his half decent clothes.

Summer wanted to tell him that it was a bad idea and she'd changed her mind but she couldn't do it when she saw the look of excitement and happiness on his face at the fact that after two weeks of imprisonment, he was allowed to leave his house. She sighed and crashed her head back onto his pillow, something told her that it wasn't going to be a very pleasant afternoon for her.

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'Well I uhh, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry.'

'Sorry for what Cohen?'

'Sorry for what, are you kidding? That went terribly, the guy hated me, he thought I was a total geek.'

'You are a total geek Cohen and he didn't hate you, he just wasn't interested in the slightest. He hasn't been interested in anything important to me for a long time.' They were strolling down the pier away from the yacht club where they had just had lunch with Summer's dad. She was correct in saying he hadn't looked very interested, he'd spent most of dinner on his cell phone. 'And now do you believe me when I say my step-monster is crazy.'

'Well she's definitely something,' Seth replied with an amused smirk, thinking about the woman barely ten years older than himself. She was undoubtedly hot, somewhat resembling a life-size Barbie, but she had also looked completely gone on painkillers as strong as horse tranquilizers, she had practically been foaming at the mouth.

'Yeah well at least you don't have to live with the embarrassment that they're supposed to be your role models.'

'Well you're nothing like them thank God, so if you don't mind me asking, who are your role models?'

'Your parents,' Summer mumbled embarrassedly, causing him to smile. 'Hell, even Coop's parents are better role models than them.'

'You don't mean that,' Seth said in a shocked voice, 'Julie Cooper is definitely not someone you should be using as a role model, look how fucked up Marissa is.' Summer laughed and slapped him on the arm.

'Cohen that's mean, so true but still mean, she's our friend and we're supposed to look past her problems and love her for the good side of her personality.'

'Well if we ignored her problems we'd effectively be completely ignoring her because that's basically all she is, one great big walking talking problem,' he replied. 'Speak of the devil, hi Marissa, so great to see you' he added brightly when he saw her and Ryan approaching.

Summer had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle the fit of loud giggles that were threatening to erupt at the fact that he was such a twofaced asshole. One minute he was bitching about her, the next when she had appeared he was all nicey nice. He had had what Summer called a Holly moment.

'Uhh, hey Cohen,' Marissa replied, eying him as if he was weird, 'what's going on?'

'Oh nothing, you know, just chillin homegirl.'

'I swear you get weirder every day,' Marissa replied, shaking her head and smirking amusedly. 'Anyways, do you guys wanna go to the diner?'

'Yeah, sure. We just ate like ten minutes ago but whatever.' They all turned and walked down the pier towards the diner.

'Dude why are you wearing half decent clothes for once?' Ryan asked curiously.

'Oh I uhh, I just met Summer's dad and stepmom for the first time.'

'You met Dr Roberts,' Marissa said with a disbelieving laugh, 'What the hell were you thinking Sum? The first boy you ever introduce to your dad and you pick this tool,' she added causing Seth to pout. 'So, how'd that go Cohen,' she asked with a smirk.

'It was umm, it was an experience.'

'That bad huh?'

'God yes, that guy is shit scary,' he replied, causing Marissa to giggle and Summer to roll her eyes.

'He is not scary Cohen,' Summer said as they walked into the diner and slipped in their regular booth, 'he just isn't the nicest of people.'

'Yeah, now I can see where you get that from.' Summer punched him on the arm, causing him to wince.

'Well I didn't get my rage issues from him, I developed them all myself and if you don't shut up, you'll be experiencing them pretty soon.' Marissa smiled at her friends. She was happy that they'd managed to get over all the shit from a couple of weeks ago and get on with their relationship because she could see it as well as everyone else, they were made for eachother.

'So you guys seem over all the crazy shit from a few weeks ago. You're back to making smartass comments,' she said motioning to Seth, 'and you're back to kicking his ass for them,' she added, pointing to Summer.

'Yeah we're good,' Summer said with a smile, resting her head on Seth's shoulder, 'we sorted all that stuff out and we're fine now.' That was half true, they were good but they most definitely hadn't sorted all their issues. They were hovering around like a bad smell but both refused to acknowledge them.

'Well you look fine,' Marissa said with a smile, 'and judging from the noises we heard coming from the bathroom the day you made up, you sounded like you were more than fine too. Shower sex eh, it sounded so hot.' Summer went a violent shade of red while Seth just leant back against the booth with a smug grin on his face.

'COHEN,' Summer shrieked, punching in the arm as hard as she could, 'you said everybody was out.'

'OW. Okay firstly, stop punching me woman and secondly, get your facts right. I said my parents were out, I didn't have a clue where these two were.'

'Well we were in the poolhouse but we went inside to see what all the noise was. Sounds like you've got skills Seth, maybe you could teach Ryan something.' Seth burst into laughter at Marissa's words.

'Oh this is great,' he said gleefully to Ryan through chuckles. 'A few months ago I was coming to you for sex advice and now your girlfriend wants me to teach you a thing or two. Oh how the tables have turned, the student has become the master and vice versa.'

'Yeah well this student will kick your ass if you don't shut up,' Ryan said menacingly, causing Seth's laughter to stop. He closed his eyes and shook his head while tutting.

'Ryan Ryan Ryan, you really shouldn't talk to your master like that. OW okay, shutting up now.'

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Seth and Ryan were sat chatting away in the booth, well Seth was chatting while Ryan was just listening and giving the occasional grunt or small phrase. Summer and Marissa were in the ladies room and Seth took pride in the fact that they were probably in there discussing what an awesome fuck he was. Although the topic of sex had died down pretty quickly, Marissa had looked eager for more details and he imagined that she was getting them right now, that's why they were taking so long in the bathroom.

Seth was snapped out of his one-sided conversation when something out the window caught his eye, Casey walking past. He banged on the window which succeeded in catching her attention, before giving her a bright smile and a small wave. His smile turned to a frown though when she just glared intensely at him before turning and stomping off.

'What was that all about, I thought she was the one stirring up shit between you and Summer?' Ryan said curiously.

'She was and even though me and Summer haven't fought since she stopped talking to me, the fact that she hates me is really bugging me. I know there's plenty of people that hate me, the whole of Harbor practically, but that doesn't bother me because they don't have a genuine reason, they're just assholes. But I was a real dick to her and she has every right to hate me, I guess it's just getting to me that I gave someone a real reason to dislike me.

'Just let it go man, you got what you wanted. She's never gonna bother you and Summer again, it's over.'

'I know and yeah I did want her gone but not the way it happened, her running down the driveway crying, not like that. I wanted to get rid of her in the way that would hurt her feelings as little as possible and I failed. Someone genuinely believes I'm like those butthead jocks, the people I despise the most, and I hate it.'

'Well if it's really getting to you that much, talk to her about it. Summer never has to know, you don't have to become friends with her, just convince her you're not an asshole for your own peace of mind.'

'Nah I couldn't. If Summer ever found out she'd rip my balls off or even worse, break up with me.'

'How is that worse?'

'Trust me Ryan, when you're as in love as I am its worse, much much worse.'

'Well you gotta do something man, just think about it, it's the best idea you got.' Seth nodded, he knew Ryan was right, he'd just have to talk to Casey and show her that he hadn't meant to hurt her, that he wasn't the bastard she thought he was.

'Hey guys, you ready to go?' Summer said as she and Marissa reappeared at the table. They both nodded and stood up, following their girlfriends out the diner. 'So do you wanna head back to my house?' Summer whispered in his ear when they were outside. 'We can have a bottle of wine, watch a romantic movie, see where that leads,' she added with a seductive grin. She knew full well where she wanted it to lead but she refused to increase his smugness by straight out telling him that she was hot as hell for him, that she wanted to feel him inside her as soon as possible.

Seth smiled at her. The idea did sound very **very** appealing but he couldn't, he'd made up his mind about what he was going to do and had decided it would be best to get it out of the way as soon as possible. 'Uhh that sounds great but I can't. I've gotta go down to the docks and renew my docking licence. I've put it off for months and it's like deadline day so its gotta be done, sorry.'

'Oh okay, well I'll come with you then, it won't take that long will it?'

'Umm actually there's loads of paperwork to fill out and stuff, it'll take a couple of hours at least. Why don't you just head home, I'll call you tonight okay.' Summer just nodded, she looked incredibly disappointed and it hurt him to see her like that.

She leant up and gave him a long peck on the lips but not before looking both ways to make sure no one who knew her was watching. It really pissed Seth off but he didn't say anything, he wasn't in the mood for an argument with her.

He returned the wave he got off Marissa and the nod off Ryan that clearly said "good choice" and with one last smile at his girlfriend, he turned and walked off in the direction he saw Casey go.

Seth felt horrible about lying to Summer but he knew she wouldn't understand that he needed to do this, that he couldn't stand being placed at the same low level as every dumb meathead that had ever hurt or humiliated him. He thought that one little white lie wouldn't be too big a deal, he promised himself that after this he'd never lie to her again.

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'Hey, can I join you?'

'Nope.'

Thanks, I got you an ice cream.' He handed Casey the cone and sat down on the bench next to her. She glared at him before dropping the cone on the floor on purpose.

'Whoops, I seemed to have dropped my ice cream,' she said sarcastically.

'Oh that's okay,' he replied brightly, 'you can have mine. Don't worry, I haven't licked it too much and I don't have herpes or anything.' His confidence grew when saw her crack a faint smile at his joke.

'Thanks,' she said softly, taking his ice cream. They sat in silence for a little while watching the sun setting, bathing the horizon in an orange glow. It would've been very romantic if he had any feelings whatsoever for the girl sat beside him.

'I'm sorry Casey, I'm not an asshole I swear,' Seth finally said.

'I know, but you are a little bitch who isn't in control of his own life. She has you wrapped around her little finger Seth and you're not even together, how sad is that.'

'I know and it was wrong of me to do what she said when we'd made up. Its just she's one of my best friends, she's one of the most important people in my life and I just didn't want to upset her.'

'No you'd rather upset me,' Casey replied coldly, tears forming in her eyes.

'It's not like that Case, I never meant for anyone to get hurt, why do you think I'm here. I just hate the fact that you think I'm like every other asshole guy in school when I'm not. I'll do anything to prove to you that I'm a good guy.'

'Summer won't like that.'

'Well this isn't about her. This is about me needing to show you that I'm sorry. She doesn't even know I'm here. I fucking lied to her so I could come and talk to you, doesn't that show you how much I'm trying. I hated lying to her but I hate the fact that I hurt you even more.' Casey smiled widely at his words and he knew he was getting there.

'Thanks Seth, that means a lot.'

'Good. So uhh, am I forgiven?'

'Only if we can be friends or something. I want to know the real Seth Cohen, not the asshole Seth Cohen I've seen so far.' Seth sighed, he hadn't wanted this to happen.

'I can't, Summer hates you,' he mumbled. Casey gave a cold laugh and shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes again.

'See what I mean. She's not even fucking here and still she's controlling your every move. For God's sake Seth, wise up and grow a fucking pair, it really is quite pathetic. If you don't wanna be my friend just because of her then you really are a dick like I thought you were.' She got up and began to leave but froze when she felt a firm grip on her forearm.

'Okay okay, we'll be friends,' he said with a defeated sigh. 'On one condition, Summer can never find out. For some reason I don't quite understand, she hates you and vice versa, and she'd flip out on me if she ever found out I'd been talking to you. So I promise that I will get to know you and you can get to know me as long as she never finds out, do we have a deal?'

Casey broke out into a big smile and threw her arms round him. 'Of course we have a deal silly, as long as you call me and we can hang out sometime, that's all I ask.'

'Uhh, yeah sure.' Seth really didn't want to but he couldn't see any other option. He refused to have her hating him anymore, he didn't know why but it upset him, he guessed it was just another one of his nice guy flaws. 'So uhh, am I forgiven for being such a dick?'

'Partly, but you'll have to buy me plenty more ice creams to fully make up for what you did,' she said with a warm smile.

'Count on it. So uhh, I gotta go but I'm glad we're friends now and umm, I'll see you later I guess.'

'Okay, bye Seth.' The hugged briefly before Seth got up and wandered off down the pier. When he was out of sight, Casey pulled out her phone and dialled a contact. The dial tone rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

'Hey bitch, what's goin on?'

'I just finished talking to Cohen, he came to me,' she said happily.

'What did I tell ya? Play him ice cold and he will come to you, works every time.'

'Yeah and the best part is, he lied to Roberts to come and see me.'

'Ooh she wouldn't be very happy about that if she ever found out would she.'

'Nope. We're friends now on one condition, she doesn't find out.'

'What're you gonna do then?'

'Be his friend, get him to trust me and then try to get in deeper, one step at a time.'

'Uh huh, any word on whether they're friends or more.'

'Well he still maintains they're just good friends but I dunno. I've been watching them at school and the way they look at eachother, their body language, lots of smiling, flirting and small touching, it all points to them being a couple in a secret relationship. They look pretty serious too. I've got no doubt that even if they're just friends, he means a hell of a lot to her.'

'Well keep doing what you're doing and soon enough we'll have won, their relationship will fall apart and she'll be miserable. And just to rub salt in her wounds, you can be the one to comfort him when it happens. He looks the emotionally dependant type, maybe you can get him into bed when he's upset and make sure she finds out about it, that'll hurt her for sure.'

'Good idea, let me know if you think of anything else, I want that slut to suffer as much as possible.'

'Will do. Gotta go, see ya around Casey.'

'See ya.' Casey flipped her phone shut and smiled at the fact that everything was finally falling into place.

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**A/N – There you go folks, let me know what you think. Please leave a review, the more I get the quicker I update. I know that's blackmail but it's just the way I work lol.**

**PS – Has anybody else's O.C fanfiction homepage stopped working? No new stories/updates have appeared on mine in like four days and I was just wondering if it had happened to anyone else and if they knew how to fix it. Let me know if you do, thanks.**


	22. It's the most wonderful time of the year

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews folks, last chapter got an awesome response (13 reviews) and it'd be appreciated if you could keep that up. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy and leave a review.**

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Summer bounded into the room to see Seth sleeping peacefully, just as she expected he would be. She straddled him and began to lightly blow on his nose, watching in amusement as it began to unconsciously twitch. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and began to lightly nibble. She knew she'd succeeded in waking him up when she heard him groan and deepen the kiss.

'mmmmm, I could wake up to that every morning,' Seth said groggily when they pulled apart, blinking the sleepdust out of his eyes. Summer grinned at him.

'Merry Chrismukkah baby.'

'Chrismukkah huh? Does that mean I've succeeded in converting you?'

'I still think its kinda lame but I thought what the hell, I'll give it a shot.'

'That's my girl, merry Chrismukkah to you to,' Seth said with a grin, leaning up for another kiss. They entertained each other with their tongues for a few minutes before Seth pulled back and looked at the clock, 7:17. 'Summer, how the hell did you get up and get round here this early in the morning?'

'Its Christmas day Cohen,' she squealed giddily, 'how can you sleep, there's presents to be opened.'

'How old are you,' he replied with an amused smirk. She just stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to roll his eyes. 'So if you're here this early it must mean you've open all the presents under your own tree and have come to open mine.'

'I don't get any presents at home. My dad just gives me a fat wad of cash every year, which is nice but I sometimes wish that I had something to open you know. I hope for your sake you got me something openable and knowing you, returnable.'

'Hey I resent that,' he said with a glare, 'I'm a great gift buyer, I know you're gonna love my presents.'

'We'll see, now come on, get dressed.' She got off his bed and began rummaging through his closet, throwing a pair of socks, boxers, jeans and a t-shirt over her shoulder in his general direction. When she turned round she found him covered in his clothes, nodding off again. She scowled and walked over to him before grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking as hard as she could. 'UP COHEN.'

'OW, there was no need for that bitch,' he said angrily, rubbing his head while getting up and walking towards his bathroom, grumbling furiously. Summer smirked at the sight of him, he could be such a baby sometimes.

'So, is your dad home for the holidays?' Seth shouted from the bathroom.

'Yeah, not that he'll be spending any of it with me though. When I left he'd already logged onto his computer and was typing away. Who the fuck is gonna respond to one of his work related e-mails on Christmas day, the guy's a freak of nature.'

'So are you staying for dinner?'

'No I can't, I promised I'd eat with them.'

'Oh okay, what time will you be round here till then?'

'Umm about four-ish if that's okay.'

'Yeah fine by me,' he said, walking out of his bathroom and beginning to get dressed. 'So when do I get my present?'

'After you give me mine, and if mine sucks you're not getting yours.'

'Well like I said, my present is gonna rock your world.'

'Well if it does, you've got nothin to worry about then have you?' He grinned and shook his head before walking up to her and wrapping his arms round her waist, pulling her body into his. They stood in silence for a while, slightly swaying as if dancing to an imaginary love song. Summer pulled back and studied him. He was staring off into space, obviously in deep thought. 'What're you thinking about?'

'What sorry,' Seth said, snapping out his thoughts.

'What're you thinking about?'

'What do you think, I only ever think about one thing nowadays' he mumbled with a shy smile, causing her to grin widely and her heart to melt. She loved that fact that she occupied so many of his thoughts.

'Let me guess, sex?' she said teasingly, causing him to freeze and rethink his statement.

'Okay, I only think about two things nowadays,' he replied, causing her to giggle, 'sex and you, usually sex with you so that should only count as one.' Summer smirked at him and gave him a playful slap on the cheek.

'Come on pervert, everyone's waiting downstairs.'

'What, everyone's already up?' he asked in disbelief.

'Yep, you're the only one who cares about sleeping more than presents you lazy assface, Coop's here already.'

'Great, Marissa and Ryan at half seven in the morning, just what I need to put me off breakfast.'

'Yeah, you think I'm hyper you ain't seen nothing yet, she's running around like a kid in a candy store, she has a little too much holiday spirit if you ask me.'

'Are you sure she isn't just drunk already.'

'Probably knowing her, she does seem to enjoy vodka for breakfast lunch and dinner. Your parents look excited too, I think it's because it's the first Christmas with Ryan.'

'What about him, I can't imagine him getting into the spirit of the season too much.'

'Nah, Chino's just being Chino. Sat there looking bored and uninterested, box of dry cereal in hand while Marissa gropes him, not saying much, not saying anything really.'

'Ah same old same old then.'

'Yup. Come on then,' she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him out the room, 'let's go open some stuff that we don't really need. Oh and FYI, if you get a skateboard, comics or whiney music it's going straight in the trash, I'm trying to get you to branch away from all that crap.'

'Never Summer, if you want Seth Cohen I'm afraid that stuff comes as part of the parcel.'

'We'll see Cohen, we'll see.'

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'Summer can you get off me please.'

'No, you're not goin anywhere. You're the best boyfriend ever and the only way I'm ever letting go of you is by smothering you to death.'

'Well I'm glad you like my present but I kinda can't breathe,' he managed to choke out. She moved off him and gave him the biggest, most loving, passion filled kiss she could possibly give. When they pulled apart Seth looked delighted and dizzy, she loved him when he looked like that. Oh who was she kidding, she loved him full stop.

'Thank you Cohen it's wonderful, I love it,' she said with a big grin, tears of happiness in her eyes. Everybody else in the living room was watching the scene with smiles on their faces. It was plain for all to see, even if they hadn't admitted it yet, that they were both head over heels in love.

'Well you deserve it,' he said with a smile.

'I………..I just, how did you know Cohen?' Summer still couldn't believe it, it was by far the best present anyone had ever given her.

'Oh I remembered you saying something about it the day we got together, or the day before should I say. Remember when we painted your room, you said it then.'

'You remembered something I said in small talk from before we were even dating, that's like three months ago Cohen,' she replied, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

'Well despite me seeming like the most inattentive moron on the planet, I actually take in every little word you say. Usually it's so if I say something stupid and you hit me for it, I don't say it again in the future but I dunno, I guess that just stuck in my brain,' he mumbled embarrassedly.

'Well good because this is like the greatest thing anyone's ever given me. I almost don't wanna give you your presents now, they're nothing compared to this.'

'I'm sure whatever you've got me will be awesome.'

'I know but this, this is too much, I don't deserve this.'

'Yes you do,' Seth said forcefully. 'Just enjoy it okay.' Summer definitely was going to enjoy it. It was kinda embarrassing, she was supposed to be the party girl, the one who got wasted all the time and hooked up with hot randoms. That was why she rarely told anyone but apparently she'd told him when they were painting her room all those months ago. She didn't remember it but that was typically sweet of him, storing the information in his brain for later use.

Seth was taking her to see the national figure skating championships, something she'd dreamt about since she was like four. Ever since she was a little girl she'd always loved figure skating, the way they glided about the ice, it was so beautiful, it mesmerized her. She thought she'd grow out of it as she got older but she never did.

Even better was the fact that it was at Madison Square Garden in New York and he'd gone to the trouble of turning it into a long romantic weekend, booking a room at a fancy hotel right in the middle of the city and everything.

Neither of them had been to New York since they were like seven so it was going to be like a whole new adventure for the both of them. They could visit all the landmarks, she could hit all the designer fashion stores and he could carry her shopping bags like the little manservant he was, it was gonna be awesome.

Since the trip wasn't until mid April, Seth had also got her a few little presents including some perfume, a white gold necklace with their initials engraved on a little heart, and a signed and framed poster of her favourite artist, Justin Timberlake, that he'd managed to find on eBay. All in all he felt that he'd done a pretty good job.

Summer attacked him with her lips again. She wasn't normally into PDA but at that moment in time she didn't care that all the others were looking, all she cared about was showing him how much she loved him. 'Come on then, your turn,' Seth said when they parted, holding his hands out eagerly with closed eyes and a grin.

'Umm, I didn't get you a big present, I just got you loads of little ones, that's okay right?'

'Yeah it's fine, now gimme gimme gimme.'

Summer smirked and pulled a neatly wrapped present out of the bag she'd brought. She put it in his hands and he ripped it open excitedly before his mouth dropped open I surprise. It was a box set of ten or so Asian anime films that couldn't be bought anywhere in the western world.

'WHOA! Summer how the hell did you get this, they only sell these in Japan,' he whispered, totally dumbfounded.

'Oh I talked to Leon again, he's like my contact on all things dorky, you like it?' she asked nervously.

'Like it, are you kidding I love it, thanks baby,' he said with a massive grin, leaning forward and capturing her in a fiery kiss.

'You're welcome,' Summer replied sweetly, a happy glow on her face at the fact that he liked her present. 'I got you loadsa stuff, here this whole bag's for you.' She handed him the bag and watched happily as he tore into the rest of his presents. She'd also got him a watch, a new pair of converse, a silver mini ipod, a rare Superman poster, a couple of playstation games and a few of books that she thought he'd like.

'Wow, great haul this year son,' Sandy said, seeing the huge pile presents he'd received.

'I know, it's because this is the first year that I have people who give a crap about me other than my family.'

'What, is your family's love not enough for you son?' Sandy said in a fake angry tone.

'Umm, in a word, no.'

'Oh, wow umm, thanks Chino,' Summer said, trying and failing to sound sincere while looking down at the crappy pair of sandals that looked like they were from K-mart in her hands.

'You don't like them,' Ryan deadpanned, not sounding particularly bothered.

'No I umm, I……………it's the thought that counts,' she finished lamely.

'Well it's only you so I didn't think about it too much,' he said with a smirk. Summer smirked back and stuck her tongue out at him. 'Plus there's the fact that I'm not exactly on a CEO's salary at the Crab Shack so it's the best I could do.'

'I know and they're great thanks, I'll wear them all the time when no one's looking.' Ryan gave a rare chuckle and accepted her hug. That was why he loved hanging with Summer, she was just so easy to talk to, even for a mute such as himself. Plus there was the fact that she was very easy on the eye.

Even if she wasn't his brother's girlfriend he'd never be interested, she just wasn't his type of girl, but he sometimes got a little jealous of the fact that Seth was banging someone as hot as her multiple times a night most days of the week. Sure he had Marissa and she put out enough to satisfy his needs, but she just couldn't compare to Summer in the hotness league.

They all continued to exchange gifts. Summer had gotten Ryan the Journey Greatest Hits CD in return. Seth gave him a Seth Cohen starter pack and Marissa all his music on a USB stick seeing as she liked the same stuff as him.

Summer and Marissa had already got each other the same gift they did every year, they'd been on a massive shopping trip together and paid for everything the other picked out, that way they couldn't go wrong. Marissa got Ryan an expensive camera so they could record their memories together in a scrapbook, honestly he hadn't seemed to keen on the gift or the idea. She got Seth biographies of several of his favourite musicians.

Sandy and Kirsten had got Seth the usual, everything on the list he provided them with which included plenty of whiney music and violent films, equipment for his boat and a 40 inch flat screen TV. They got Ryan a stereo, some clothes and a new bike. Seth and Ryan had pooled some money together to buy them a romantic weekend away at Palm Springs.

The adults had also gotten Summer and Marissa gifts too which they really didn't have to. They'd given them both a South Coast gift voucher for three hundred dollars. Summer knew it wouldn't go very far on the type of clothes she wore, a pair of jeans and shoes at most, but she was extremely grateful nonetheless. It was a good job that she'd bought them gifts too, Sandy a bagel cutter that cut multiple bagels at once due to his obsession with the things, and Kirsten a cookbook as a joke, something she seemed to like.

All in all it had been one of the best Christmas mornings Summer had ever had, not only because of the awesome presents she'd got, but because she'd spent it with the people she cared about the most, people who obviously cared about her in return.

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After all the excitement of opening presents, the two teens had retreated to Seth's room and were making out on his bed. Both were getting hotter by the second and Summer knew she had to stop it before she lost all control and it led something more, probably her moaning his name at the top of her lungs and getting permanently banned from coming near the house by his parents who were still downstairs.

'Thanks for the awesome presents again baby,' Summer said sweetly when they pulled apart.

'Stop it,' Seth replied bluntly.

'Stop what?'

'Stop trying to delay it. You know it's gonna happen so just take your clothes off already and we can get started.' Summer smirked, she was hot for him but she wasn't going to make his ego swell by admitting it.

'Not happening Cohen, other people are in the house and I'm really loud remember.'

'We can do it doggy style and you can put your face in my pillow to muffle the screams of pleasure,' he replied with a smug grin. Summer just grinned back and shook her head, the idea did sound very appealing but she refused to let him win.

Seth forcefully connected lips with her again. She moaned as she felt his hands wander under her shirt and begin to roam her back. Her whole body began to heat rapidly, desire started to spread through her and warmth and wetness started to envelop her crotch area. As his hands wandered to the buttons on her jeans and he teasingly began to undo them one by one, Summer knew she'd lost the battle, she was going……………going……………..gon-'

'NO,' Summer shouted as she abruptly pulled away from him. She jumped off his bed, ran into his bathroom and began to splash cold water all over her bright red face. Seth appeared a few seconds later and leaned on the doorframe, watching smugly as she tried to regain control of herself.

'See, you're not the only one who can use sex as a weapon,' he said with a smirk when she finally turned to look at him. Summer glared intensely at him before walking over and walloping him on the arm as hard as she could.

'Don't you EVER do that again asshole,' she shouted angrily. She was a naturally competitive person and she hated being beaten at anything, including sex games.

'OW, why not? You were starting to enjoy it,' Seth whimpered in reply, looking like he was in pain.

'No I would've been enjoying it had your parents not been in the house. You need to get it through your thick skull that I'm never gonna have sex with you while they're in the same building, got it?'

'Yeah yeah, got it,' Seth mumbled annoyedly, pouting childishly and turning away from her.

'Good,' Summer replied with a sweet smile, puling him round to face her and leaning up and giving him a soft peck on the lips. 'Oh I just remembered, I've got another present to give you.' She watched as his eyes lit up and instantly knew what he was thinking. 'God Cohen,' she said with a scowl, giving him a sharp jab, 'didn't you hear a word I just said, that's not gonna happen and it never will again if you don't give it a rest.'

'Humph, this is the worst Chrismukkah ever,' he said dramatically, the childish pout back on his face. Summer sighed.

'Later Cohen at my house, I promise. Only if you stop being such a baby mind you.' Seth smiled happily and nodded.

'So where's this present then?' he said eagerly.

'Its down in my car, I'll go get it.'

'Actually I've got another present for you too but its not here so you can give me my present then we can go.'

'Okay,' she said happily, taking his hand and dragging him out the room.

'I'm sure whatever you've got me is gonna rock but just so you know, sex would've been better.'

'COHEN!'

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'Ooh an envelope, just what I've always wanted,' Seth said sarcastically when Summer returned from her car and hopped in the range rover. She smirked and slapped him playfully on the arm before handing him the large envelope. He tore it open and despite trying to hide it, looked unimpressed at what he saw.

'Comic Art Magazine. Uhh, I have a subscription for it but whatever, thanks Summer its great.' Summer smirked at his attempt at trying to sound sincere, Seth Cohen just couldn't do sincere unless it was life threateningly important.

'That's not the present dumbass, turn to page 23.' Seth did as she said and began to flick through the pages. When he got there his mouth dropped open and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets in stunned disbelief.'

'OH MY GOD.' He was staring down at his own drawing with a whole page dedicated to it. It was one with all the characters of Atomic County in their trademark poses with The Ironist and Little Miss Vixen kissing in the centre. Above it was a bold title that said **_"My Atomic Life, by Seth Cohen" _**and below it were comments by the magazine's artists and editors. He read through them, they all pretty much said his drawing was brilliant. He turned to Summer and tried to say something, his mouth was opening but the words just wouldn't come, he was completely speechless.

'Please don't get mad if you don't like it,' Summer said quickly. 'I just…………..I knew your drawings were amazing but I also knew that you'd never show them to anybody, even though they deserve to be seen and acknowledged by people in the comic world. So I uhh……………I took matters into my own hands and sent a copy to the magazine, please tell me you're not mad,' she finished desperately.

She waited nervously until he broke into an ecstatic grin and, wait a sec, his eyes started glistening with tears. 'Oh my God you are so amazing,' he said emotionally as he threw his arms round her and buried his face in her neck, not even trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of crying tears of joy. That was another thing Summer loved about him, the fact that he'd never hide his emotions from her, no matter how embarrassing it was, even though she sometimes did it to him.

'Really, you really like it?' she said happily as she stroked his curls.

'Like it, seriously Summer this is the best present anyone's ever given me,' he mumbled into her shoulder, 'thank you so much,' he added with watery eyes when he pulled back, smiling widely and showing the adorable dimples that made her stomach do somersaults. 'I……………I don't know what to say, I just…………….I'm so overwhelmed right now, I'm a famous artist,' he shouted happily, causing her to giggle.

'I wouldn't go that far Cohen,' she replied through her giggles, 'but at least your work's been acknowledged by other great artists.'

'Yeah, and it's all because of you, I just don't know what to say.'

'Don't say anything, just drive me to my present.'

'You got it my queen.' They drove in silence, Summer stealing the odd glance at him and smiling at the fact that he looked so overjoyed. He couldn't wipe the massive grin from his face, occasionally mumbling the odd thing to himself that she couldn't quite catch. He was just being the same old Seth but in the best mood she'd ever seen him, and she loved it.

'Where are we going Cohen?' Summer finally said after about ten minutes.

'Uhh, Iraq.'

'Ha ha you're so funny,' she said sarcastically, 'seriously, where are we going?'

'We are going………………..here,' Seth replied as they pulled up outside a huge house.

'Oh my God you got me a mansion,' Summer said playfully, 'thanks Cohen, I knew I was with you for a reason.'

'Ha ha, look who turned out to be quite the comedian,' he replied sarcastically, 'but if you ever do need extra incentive to stay with me other than the fact that I'm amazing in bed, that's it right there. I'll be the proud owner of that premises when gramps finally pops it.'

'Oh this is your grandpa's house, why are we here?'

'Your present's inside, lets go get it,' he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her up the steps.

'Hey gramps,' Seth said when Caleb flung the front door open.

'Hello Seth, can you believe I just had to open my own front door. I had to give the maid the day off because it's Christmas even though she's freaking Filipino and doesn't celebrate it.'

'Oh no, what a tragedy,' Seth replied sarcastically, causing Summer to have to put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. Caleb chose to ignore his smartass comment.

'Please tell me you've come to pick up that damn- oh, hello Summer,' he quickly covered when he saw Seth shaking his head violently and motioning towards his girlfriend.

'Hi Mr Nicol.'

'Please, call me Caleb. Anyways, come on in. Seth, you know where it is, I'll leave you to it.' With a nod at both teens, Caleb turned and walked off into one of the other hundred rooms in the huge house.

'Come on,' Seth said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs. They twisted and turned down various corridors and up and down sets of stairs. The house really was massive, it was like a maze and Summer was surprised Seth knew where he was going. 'Here we are, you're present's inside,' he said when they finally got to the door he was looking for.

Summer looked at him and he smiled and motioned for her to open the door. She walked forward and pushed the door open, her mouth dropped when she saw what it was. Seth appeared behind her and whispered, 'you like it?' in her ear. She replied by spinning round, throwing her arms round his neck and bursting into tears of joy. Seth was shocked but happy at her reaction. 'I'll take that as a yes then.'

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'Daddy, you home,' Summer shouted when they walked into the house foyer. Neil Roberts appeared from the living room.

'Summer, hello Seth,' he said in his harsh and unfriendly tone, 'I didn't know you had a dog Seth.'

'Uhh, actually daddy she's mine, Seth kinda bought her for me as a present for Christmas.'

'No.'

'Daddy PLEASE,' Summer said desperately, 'she's already been trained to go to the toilet outside and I can feed and look after her myself, PLEASE daddy.'

'Oh alright,' Neil snapped, 'but if I ever find crap on my floors she's outta here faster than you can say "well done Seth you tool".' Seth blushed embarrassedly, the only reason he'd got her the puppy was because he was a bastard who was constantly leaving her all alone.

He knew she got lonely and he'd just wanted to provide her with some company so he'd got her a little Jack Russell puppy. It was tiny, barely eight weeks old, it had the traditional white and orange coat and was exceptionally cute. She'd fallen in love with it the second she saw it back at his grandpa's house and as far as Seth was concerned, her dad could fuck off.

'Thank you daddy,' Summer squealed, passing the leash to Seth as she ran over and threw her arms round him. He looked highly uncomfortable and when they pulled apart he just mumbled "whatever" and stalked off, causing his daughter's smile to fade a little. 'Come on then gorgeous,' she turned and said to the dog in a cute voice, 'lets show you your new home.'

She took the lead off him and bounded upstairs, Seth following with a huge smile on his face. That was the best present as far as he was concerned, seeing her happy. When he finally got to her room, Seth found Summer laid on her bed laughing hysterically with the dog on top of her, licking her face all over. Seth grinned at the sight before collapsing on the bed with them. 'Great, looks like you're gonna permanently smell like dog then,' he said.

'Shut up Cohen it's your fault. If you don't like it you can find some other girl to treat like a princess.'

'Nah it's okay, as long as you're happy it's fine,' he said, causing her heart to melt.

'She's so tiny,' Summer said, stroking the dog, 'how old is she?'

'Umm about eight weeks I think, that's like one in dog years.'

'Oh my God she's a baby. I have a baby and in case you're wondering Cohen, you're the father,' she said teasingly.

'Cool, I get to play the protective dad role now, you know, keep her away from boys and stuff. I think there's a male Alsatian next door that'll probably have his eye on her. Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't get his grubby paws on our daughter,' he said fiercely. Summer giggled at him before pushing her face forward and capturing him in a loving kiss.

'Thank you,' she said softly when they pulled apart, 'this has been by far the best Christmas I've ever had and it's all down to you.'

'Well that's what I'm here for,' Seth replied with a smile, 'my sole purpose in life is to make you happy.' Summer nearly swooned at his words. Just when she thought both him and their relationship in general couldn't get any more perfect, he went and said something like that and took her love for him to new heights.

'You are so cheesy sometimes Cohen you know that,' Summer said, blushing furiously and grinning widely.

'I know but you love it really,' he replied with a cheeky grin.

'Yeah I do,' she said, leaning forward and giving him another deep kiss.

'So, what're you gonna call her?' he asked when they parted.

'Umm, I think I'm gonna call her Chrissie.'

'Chrissie? What the hell kinda name is Chrissie for a dog?'

'It's short for Chrismukkah dumbass.'

'Oh, good idea actually.'

'Thanks. Hey Chrissie,' she said in a cute voice as she began to stroke the puppy, 'we're your mommy and daddy and this is your new home.' The dog yapped in the cute way that puppies do before jumping off the bed and bounding round the room, sniffing at random objects.

Seth and Summer just smiled at the sight, cuddling closer together because that was where they loved to be more than anywhere else, in each other's arms. Summer thought about the events of the holiday and memories of the awful last one were instantly forgotten.

As far as she was concerned, that classic Christmas song was totally true, it really was the most wonderful time of the year.

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**A/N – There you go folks, a bit cheesy I know but I find that Christmas usually is. Don't worry lots of drama coming up in about two or three chapters. Let me know what you think. Remember, the more reviews I get the faster I update :)**


	23. Summerless nights

**A/N - Hey everybody, thanks for the excellent response to the last chapter (14 reviews). Keep up the reviewing and I'll try to keep updating as quickly as possible. Here's the next chapter, enjoy and please leave a review.**

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The Cohen family was stood round the breakfast bar chatting away. It was ten am on a sunny Saturday morning, two weeks after Christmas. School was due to start again on Monday so the kids were making the most of what little holiday they had left.

Their banter was interrupted by the house phone ringing. Seth was closest to it so he picked it up and pressed the answer button. 'mmmyello.'

'Hey Cohen, how's my favourite boyfriend today,' Summer said brightly down the line. Seth sighed, he recognized her tone of voice all too well.

'Okay firstly, you saying I'm your favourite boyfriend would imply that you have more than one and secondly, what do you want.'

'Well good morning to you too,' Summer scoffed, 'and I do have more than one boyfriend. You don't think you can satisfy my needs fully do you, that takes multiple boyfriends,' she added teasingly. 'Besides, what makes you think I want something, can't a girl call her favourite guy every once in a while,' she said innocently.

'So you're not after anything then,' Seth asked sceptically.

'No I am but that's not the point, the point is I'm not always after something when I call you, sometimes I just wanna talk to you.'

'That's bullcrap and you know it. You're always telling me how annoying the sound of my voice can be so there's no way in hell you ever call me to just chat, you get more than enough of that when you're with me so you quit lying. Admit it, you only call me when you want something.'

'Shut up Cohen,' Summer ordered.

'See, we've only been talking for like two minutes and already you're sick of the sound of me.'

'That's because in the last two minutes I've had about two seconds talking time and the rest has been you, you're just a rambling idiot Cohen.'

'Whatever. Anyways, I bet I know what you want,' Seth said with a sigh. 'Let me guess, the dog took another dump and you want me to drive the five miles to your house just to clean it up. I bought her you for Christmas so she's your responsibility Summer, you're gonna have to learn to do it at some point.'

'I know and I will its just daddy has a colleague coming over in like an hour and they're gonna sit on the patio chairs so he doesn't want a huge dog turd sitting on the lawn. I tried to clean it up Cohen, believe me I did but it's a fresh one and it still stinks. I got about ten foot from it and started gagging, I thought I was gonna puke, it's like totally ew.'

'Fine I'll come,' Seth replied grumpily, 'but this is the last time Summer, you need to start taking responsibility. Besides, do you have any idea how much money I've spent on gas in the last two weeks because of constantly having to drive over to your place to pick up dog crap.'

'I know Cohen and I'm sorry, are you on speakerphone?'

'No why?'

'Then I guess its okay for me to say that when you get here and you've shovelled the shit so to speak, I'll make it up to you, if you know what I mean,' she purred down the line in a seductive voice. Seth grinned at her words and his imagination immediately began going wild.

'Okay I'll be there in about half an hour, I'm not dressed yet. I'm starting to agree with your dad though, maybe getting you that stupid dog was a bad idea.'

'How dare you talk about our daughter like that Cohen, she's the cutest most adorable thing in the world, you know you love her really.'

'Maybe I do, I just don't love her mother when she's ordering me to do her dirty work.'

'Well you should love her mother because if you do her dirty work, she'll give you the best damn blowjob you've ever had.'

'I've only had a couple and they've all been off you. They're good but I can live without them,' he countered with a smirk.

'Oh don't worry, I still have a few tricks left, I can twist my tongue in some pretty weird ways that I know will drive you crazy. I promise that if you come over and do this for me one last time, I'll learn how to do it myself and I'll definitely make it worth your while. Soooo, you coming?'

'I'll be there soon,' Seth replied, grinning widely. He heard Summer let out a squeal of happiness and clap her hands together elatedly.

'Great, thanks baby, see you soon. Oh and…………..bring condoms,' she said suggestively before hanging up before he even had a chance to say goodbye. Seth clicked the phone off and put it on its stand before turning to his family with a big goofy grin on his face.

'Why are you so happy,' Kirsten asked confusedly, 'from what we could gather you've gotta go over to Summer's and pick up crap again?

'I have but so what, I get to spend time with her.' Kirsten awwww'ed while Sandy and Ryan looked at him disgustedly.

'You son, are completely and utterly whipped,' Sandy said, shaking his head in disapproval.

'I don't care because it's Summer Roberts, the hottest most awesome girl on the planet who's whipping me. Whoa that sounded really dirty. Besides, so are you dad, and you Ryan for that matter. You're both wrapped round the little finger of your women too.'

'That is so not true son.'

'Yeah, no way am I whipped.'

'Oh really, so you love going to them weekly newpsie events do you dad?'

'No, you know I hate them.'

'Then how come you never miss one?' Seth watch with an amused smirk as realization dawned on his father's face.

'Because your mother makes me go,' he mumbled, 'point taken son, point taken.'

'And what about you Ry, I suppose you love going on eight hour shopping sprees with Marissa, carrying her bags and watching her try on item after item, having to give your opinion on every single one.'

'Alright Seth I get it, I'm whipped too.'

'Damn right you are. Anyways, gotta go, can't keep Summer waiting.'

'Awwww, I think it's great that you're so eager to please her, I remember a time when your father used to be like that,' Kirsten said with a grin.

'Hey I still am like that, you're still my princess,' Sandy said in a sweet voice, walking over to her and wrapping his arms round her before pulling her in for a kiss.

'Oh god, that's my cue to leave, if I stay any longer I'll vomit,' Seth said in a disgusted tone. 'Goodbye family, I'm taking the range rover,' he added over his shoulder.

'Bye,' they all shouted in unison as he grabbed the keys from the counter and headed out the door, ready to fulfil his love's poop scooping needs.

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Seth parked up the car and hopped out. He was at the oceanfront stores as Summer had asked him to bring condoms and he'd run out of supplies at his house. If she wanted to have sex with him, well who was he to deny her what she wanted.

He wandered into the convenience store, browsing for what he was looking for. He found them and picked up a box of ten, figuring they'd be enough to last him a day or two. Although he wasn't so sure, they'd been going at it quite a lot in recent weeks.

A week ago on New Year's Eve they'd attended a newpsie party and seeing as it was a special occasion, they'd been given permission to drink. Both of them had quite a lot to drink and didn't make it to midnight, they'd escaped in a taxi at about 11:45 and had completely missed the countdown because they'd been pinned up against her bedroom wall, making love forcefully.

That evening and the morning after, they easily got through a box of twenty condoms. When they finally did stop the marathon late New Year's day, neither had ever felt so exhausted but at the same time so satisfied.

They both knew it wasn't a good idea and huge amounts of sex could end up with huge consequences but they couldn't stop, they were just too damn hot for eachother, they we're like rabbits in the peak of mating season.

Seth walked out of the store and banged straight into someone, knocking the box to the floor. 'Sorry,' he mumbled, looking at the floor and praying that it wasn't a water polo player or else he was about to take a beating.

'That's okay its no prob- oh, hey Seth.' He looked up when he heard the person say his name and found himself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes.

'Oh umm, hey Casey, how's it going?' In the month that they'd been secret friends, Seth had hung out with her about one night a week, telling his parents, Ryan and Summer that he was meeting the comic book club.

He'd been surprised to find out that she was really cool to hang out with. She was fun and always found interesting stuff to do and talk about. She didn't mock him or make him feel like he was beneath her like Summer sometimes still did, he knew Summer didn't mean to but it still upset him sometimes. With Casey though that never happened, she always made him feel equal.

She'd also kept her promise, acting like she still hated him whenever he was with Summer at school. All in all, he enjoyed her company and was beginning to think that she wasn't as bad as Summer made her out to be.

Seth still felt terrible about lying to everybody he loved, but if that was what it took to show her that he wasn't an asshole then he'd do it. He hadn't developed any romantic interest in her either, she wasn't his hot friend Casey or sexy Casey, she was just plain old Casey, fun to hang out with and a good talker and listener, a decent substitute for the now absent Laura in some respects.

'I'm good thanks, who's the lucky lady then?' she said with a smirk, picking up the box of condoms and handing it to him.

'Ohh umm no one. I uhh…………….I just wanna be prepared in case I uhh………….I-I meet someone or somethin,' he stuttered, going a violent shade of red.

'Uh huh,' Casey replied sceptically with a raised eyebrow. 'I don't believe for a second that this is the first box you've ever bought though. What happened to your last lot?'

'Oh I umm, I gave them to Ryan, he and Marissa can't keep their hands off each other,' he lied.

'Oh, too much information but whatever. So you're telling me that these are just gonna sit in your bedstand, gathering dust.'

'Until I meet someone, yeah I guess so,' he mumbled.

'That seems like an awful waste Seth. Have you uhh, have you ever heard of a little thing called friends with benefits?' she said shyly, starting to blush.

'Yeahhhh,' Seth replied cautiously.

'Well umm, we're friends now right?' Seth nodded in reply. 'Well I think you're cute and I know you think I'm hot so I uhh………………I was wondering if you umm………….if you wanna try the benefits side of things,' she mumbled, blushing furiously but giving a suggestive grin at the same time.

'Oh umm, that uhh……………..that sounds like fun but I-I think we should just be friends,' he stammered, also turning bright red.

'Oh, okay,' she said quietly, looking disappointed.

'I think we should be just friends for now that is, I'm not gonna rule out the possibility of anything happening in the future,' he added with a cheeky grin, causing her to give a surprised grin back. Seth knew he'd rather die than anything happen with her, because the only way that would occur was if he and Summer were finished and he was determined to never let that happen, but he figured there was no harm in letting her think that she had a chance.

'Great so uhh, do you wanna hang out?'

'Umm, I've really gotta be somewhere but I suppose I can spare five minutes for a coffee.'

'Okay, how about the arcade then, that's got a café? Seth nodded and followed her towards the arcade. He figured that he had a few minutes to spare and what Summer didn't know couldn't hurt her, right?

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'Oh my God you suck at this Seth, this level's for like retards and you're still falling over,' Casey shrieked through howls of laughter. It'd been forty minutes since he'd agreed to have a quick coffee with her, but that had fast turned into a full-scale hang.

They were on a dance machine in the arcade. It was on the slowest level and while Casey was getting the word perfect coming up on the screen at her every move, Seth was seeing words such as dreadful and awful.

On top of that, he'd actually tripped over his own feet and fallen flat on his ass several times, he really was the clumsy moron who lacked balance that everybody said he was. But despite it being very embarrassing, he really was having a lot of fun and he'd even forgotten he was supposed to be going to see Summer, something that'd never happened before.

Seth was snapped out of his crappy attempt at dancing by his phone ringing. He looked at the caller ID and it dawned on him on where he was supposed to be, OH SHIT. 'Uhh, hey,' he said nervously when he answered.

'COHEN! Where the HELL are you? You were meant to be here forty fucking five minutes ago,' Summer bellowed down the line, he knew how she hated to be kept waiting.

'Sorry sorry, I'll be there in five,' he replied quickly.

'Damn right you will if you ever wanna have sex with me again. Daddy's work friend's gonna be here in twenty minutes and if that crap isn't gone I'm gonna get grounded and my allowance taken away from me.'

'Don't worry, I won't let that happen.'

'No you won't because if it does, I'll kick your scrawny ass. You really are a freakin tool someti- wait, what's that noise? Oh my God, are you at the fucking arcade,' she whispered venomously. Seth could hear the rage in her voice and it scared him shitless.

'Umm, no,' he replied rather unconvincingly.

'You bastard,' she shouted, 'I've been waiting nearly a whole freaking hour for you to come over and pick up one piece of shit before we spend the rest of the day having hot sex and I find out you're at the arcade, THE FUCKING ARCADE.' Seth looked up to see Casey looking at him, he pointed to the phone and mouthed "Summer" which made her roll her eyes and nod.

'I'll be there as fast as I can, I promise.'

'Well it's still not good enough,' she replied sulkily, 'I told you to be here as soon as possible and you just ignored me, you're supposed to do what I say.' Seth didn't know why, but her comment hit a nerve and he felt his jaw clench and his blood begin to boil.

'Oh is that so, I'm supposed to do exactly what you want exactly when you want me to, because its all about you isn't it queen Summer,' he snapped angrily. 'Well newsflash, I'm not your fucking slave bitch, I do have a life of my own you know.' He took a deep breath, ready to hear the screams of rage coming from her any second. He also noticed the shocked but impressed look on Casey's face.

'Oh……………wow………………umm……………...okaaaayy, I umm, I…………….don't worry about it Cohen, I'll clean it myself,' she whispered quietly, a mixture of extreme confusion, shock and upset in her tone.

Seth sighed, he'd never thought it possible for him to talk to her like that but he'd just snapped. It was obvious she was just as stunned because normally she would've gone into rage blackout mode, but she'd never heard him talk to her like that and she seemingly didn't know how to react.

'Summer I-'

'No you're right Seth,' she cut in, still sounding extremely hurt, 'it's just a piece of crap, I………………I was just being silly. I-I'm sorry I bothered you, I'll uhh………….I'll call you later okay.'

'No Summer wait,' Seth replied desperately, 'I'm still coming over.'

'No no don't bother, its cool, I got it all under control,' she replied in what was meant to be an airy voice but he could tell was hiding intense upset.

'Okay if you're sure, you're okay though right?'

'Oh I'm fine, gotta go, talk to ya later baby' she replied, trying to sound casual but her voice was all high pitched, a tone Seth recognized it all too well. It was her "I'm gonna burst into tears pretty soon" voice.

'Okay,' he said with a defeated sigh, 'bye Summer.'

'Bye,' she whispered before hanging up. Seth sighed unhappily and flipped his phone shut. He knew she didn't meant to emasculate him, he knew that in some weird way that he'd never understand it was actually her way of showing affection and the more she mocked, insulted and degraded him, the more she was just trying to show him she cared about him.

Sometimes though, he wished that she'd just straight out tell him that he was important to her like he did to her all the time. Normally he would've just absorbed her rant and then done what she said but when Casey was there, treating him with respect and like he was more than just a slave, her unreasonable demands and treatment of him as if he was just an object she owned had really pissed him off and he'd just lost it.

'Well that was interesting,' Casey said with a smirk when he finally looked at her, 'I guess you won't be going over to hers after all then?'

'Uhh no, I guess not,' Seth replied miserably, wanting to go more than ever but knowing it'd be best to give her some time and space after what'd just happened.

'Well do you wanna stay and hang out then, we can catch a movie or somethin?' Suddenly the thought of hanging out with her had lost all its appeal, he knew he wouldn't be able to have fun and his mind would constantly be on his girlfriend who was, knowing her as well as he did, probably curled up on her bed crying at the fact that her boyfriend was such a bastard right at that very moment. Seth had nothing better to do though so he thought what the hell.

'Yeah why not,' he replied, not even bothering to try and sound enthusiastic. He figured that if he was gonna be miserable he may as well have someone to drag down with him, there really was truth in the old saying "misery loves company".

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Summer walked into Seth's room to find him laid on his bed reading a book. 'Hey,' she said softly, causing him to jump and stare over the top of his book at her.

'Hey,' he replied with a nervous smile. He put his book on his bedstand and held his hand out to her. Summer took it and he pulled her onto the bed with him, she instinctively snuggled as close to him as possible. They were laid on their sides and she had an arm draped over his waist while he ran his fingers through her hair with one hand. They weren't making eye contact and the silence wasn't a nice one, the only way it could be described was awkward with a capital A.

'I'm sorry,' Summer finally mumbled, still not looking at him.

'No baby I'm sorry,' Seth replied quietly, 'you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just an asshole.'

'No you're not and I did do something wrong, what happened this morning has been a long time coming.'

'No it hasn't, I never thought I'd talk to you the way I did, I………….I didn't meant to, it was an accident. You don't deserve to be spoken to like that.'

'Yes I do Seth. I know I sometimes take you for granted and treat you like a servant and I'm sorry, I'll try and stop doing it okay.' Seth just nodded. 'So umm, am I forgiven for treating for you like a doormat?' she added quietly, biting her lip nervously. Seth smiled reassuringly at her and nodded.

'Am I forgiven for shouting at you?' he mumbled. Summer smirked.

'Believe me baby there's nothing to forgive. I mean yeah at first I was a little shocked and upset because I'd never heard you like that before, but this new, edgy, bad tempered Seth Cohen actually turned me on like hell. By the time I'd processed what'd happened and gotten over it, I just wanted to find you and jump you,' she said with a cheeky grin. Seth smirked at her words.

'So uhh, what did you do about the crap in the end?' he asked curiously. A pleased grin appeared on her face at his question.

'I picked it up myself,' she said proudly, like it was a huge achievement.

'Really,' Seth replied in an impressed tone, 'well done baby I'm so proud of you,' he added, placing a kiss on her forehead. Truth be told, he really was proud of her. To most people it'd probably seem trivial but considering the Summer from six months ago wouldn't even walk on grass for fear of getting dirty, Seth knew it really was a massive accomplishment.

Thanks,' she replied, an embarrassed pink tint developing on her cheeks due to the fact that it was really lame for her to feel pleased with herself just for picking up some dog shit. She moved her face towards his and their lips connected. Slowly they opened their mouths and their tongues met. Neither of them knew how or why, but at the right times, just kissing could be as sensual and satisfying as a steamy round of sex for the both of them.

It was definitely one of those moments and when they pulled apart, Summer genuinely felt relaxed, happy and satisfied all over, just like she normally did after sex. 'Oh before I forget,' she said in a flustered voice, still recovering from their intense embrace, 'about what you said on the phone earlier.'

'Summer I thought we sorted all that shit,' Seth said desperately, not wanting to get into it again in fear of an argument breaking out.

'Yeah we sorted all that shit about me not treating you right but I'm talking about the other thing you said, the fact that you have a life of your own, outside me ya know.'

'Oh just forget about that, I didn't mean it.'

'Yes you did, we both know you have other things in your life other than me and that you haven't had much time for them recently, what with all the crazy demands I've been making.'

'Screw all the other stuff, it doesn't matter, you're my life.' Summer grinned widely at his words.

'That's really sweet Cohen but I don't want it to be like that and I know that deep down, you don't want that either. If we spent that much time together we'd just end up hating each other. So with that in mind, I think we should take some time apart.' Seth's eyes widened at her words a panicked look spread across his face.

'What like a trial separation or somethin? Summer please don't do this,' he said desperately, looking as if he could cry, 'if you're doing this because of this morning then don't, I'm so sorry and I'll make it up to you, I-'

'Seth,' Summer said midway through his rant, trying to cut off his babbling. 'SETH!' she said more forcefully which succeeded in stopping his speech. 'I am not talking about a trial separation or any separation for that matter, and like I said, I'm totally over this morning.' She watched amusedly as he exhaled a huge sigh of relief and his cheeks began to burn up in embarrassment.

'Sorry,' he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

'It's okay. What I mean is that we should have a few nights a week to ourselves where we don't hang out and we don't talk on the phone, we just do our own thing.'

'umm…………….okayyyyyy, uhh……………why?'

'Because even though I love spending time with you more than anything in the world Cohen, I really don't wanna end up like Ryan and Marissa, you know, not being able to spend a single night without each other.'

'Oh okay, that does actually make sense, I don't wanna end up like them either, they're gross.' Summer giggled at him.

'Exactly. So I umm, I was thinking that I dunno, Monday and Thursday evenings we don't hang out and we don't talk unless it's really important. I can do my thing, pedicure, manicure, hang with Coop, and you can do your lame stuff, playstation, comics, masturbate,' she said teasingly.

'Sure I guess.' Truth was, Seth wasn't keen in the slightest. Earlier when he'd said she was his life he wasn't joking, she was all he ever thought about and all he ever wanted to do was be was with her, two nights a week without her was gonna be really tough for him.

'Great. So I gotta go, daddy doesn't like me leaving Chrissie alone in the house for too long, but I'm glad we got all that stuff sorted and I'll see you tomorrow?' Seth nodded before leaning in for a gentle kiss. 'Bye baby,' she said with a warm smile before getting off his bed and walking out the room.

As soon as she was gone, Seth's smile instantly turned into the frown he'd been holding in. He sighed unhappily and picked up his book. He really hated himself at the moment. His stupid angry outburst this morning had cost him a full two nights a week with the girl he loved.

Sure he didn't wanna end up like Ryissa either, but that was never gonna happen anyway because while he and Summer weren't into PDA, it was the blonde couple's favourite activity. The only good thing that'd come out of it was that he now had a couple of free nights a week to hang out with Casey like he'd promised he would, without the fear of Summer finding out.

Even so, when he thought about the Summerless nights ahead, he filled with unhappiness, regret and guilt for ditching her to hang out with her arch enemy that morning. Yes she treated him like a slave, but he was lying to her and in his opinion, that was much much worse.

Seth had always been one to believe in crazy things, the force, aliens and reincarnation to name a few. His latest crazy belief was that, after seeing that wacky TV comedy _"My Name is Earl"_, karma was real and what goes around really does come around. He believed that the fact that he had to spend two nights a week without his love, was karmic payback for all the times he'd lied to her over recent weeks.

'Touché karma,' he mumbled to himself, knowing he deserved his punishment and he'd just have to accept it without complaint. Oh yes, as far as Seth was concerned, payback really was a bitch.

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**A/N – There you go peeps. I don't really like it but it's just a filler chapter with the mildest of drama, the real stuff's gonna start next chapter or the one after. Anyways, let me know what you think, thanks.**


	24. Responsibility

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. Enjoy this one and please review!!**

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'I can't believe this.'

'For Christ's sake give it a rest Seth.'

'Well dammit woman, we've got a car, we've got cash and we've got a long weekend, the world is our oyster. We could be off doing whatever we want wherever we want but where are we, we're stood here in the middle of the park waiting for the dog to take a shit.'

'Well she needs one and what my baby wants, my baby gets.'

'How do you know she needs one, we've been stood here waiting for half an hour.'

'Trust me she wants one, she did her "I need a dump" bark.' Seth snorted at his girlfriends words.

'I'm sorry, what?'

'I said she-'

'I heard what you said. You've said some pretty dumbass things in the time I've known you Summer but that's gotta top the list,' he said amusedly, causing her to glare threateningly at him. 'Let me guess, she's also got an "I'm hungry" bark and an "I wanna go walkies" yelp,' he added sarcastically.

'Actually she has Cohen,' Summer replied smartly, 'is that so hard to believe?'

'Umm……………...yes, a bark is a bark Summer.'

'Not when you're a mother. Call it mother's intuition or whatever but I can just tell what she wants.' Seth rolled his eyes.

'For the last time Summer, she's not a kid. This fantasy you have of pretending she's your baby is really starting to scare me. I swear that if I didn't know better I'd be sure that you wanted a real one, maybe I should stop having sex with you as a precaution.' This time it was Summer's turn to snort in disbelief.

'Yeah right Cohen, I'd love to see that. And believe me, I'm so not ready for a screaming brat yet, it's at least another ten years before I even start thinking about that. No I just like to pretend she's my baby because she's just so damn cute and she totally depends on me to survive, kinda like a real kid ya know.'

'Well I depend on you too.'

'Yeah for sex, hardly the same thing is it.'

'Suppose not.' It was a bright Saturday morning in late January, two weeks after the arcade incident, and the two teens were indeed stood in the park, waiting for little Chrissie to do her business. Summer was in no rush to do something fun because they had four days off school, next Monday and Tuesday being teacher training days. It seemed that Seth however, was already going out of his mind with boredom and it was only nine am.

'I swear I'm gonna kill myself if that dog doesn't hurry the fuck up and take a shit,' Seth whined, stamping his foot on the floor like a two year old throwing a hissy fit.

'Do it then,' Summer said with an amused smirk, already sick of his whining.

'Yeah well then who would there be to make you come every night,' he replied smugly.

'I have fingers Cohen,' she countered. A dreamy grin appeared on Seth's face, obviously imagining his girlfriend pleasuring herself. Summer smirked at him. 'God, you're such a pervert Cohen,' she said with a playful slap on his arm, 'I don't imagine you getting yourself off and I bet you do it a hell of a lot more than me.'

'That may be, but for a guy to do it is just routine, a girl to do it though, that's just hot, it's like taboo or something.' Summer giggled at his naivety.

'Believe me Cohen,' she replied through her chuckles, 'we girls have needs too. "When your man's not home, do it alone" that's the motto I follow and I'm pretty sure most other girls do too.' Seth's mouth dropped open and he practically started drooling at her words.

'Oh my God, how did I not know this?' Summer laughed at him.

'Because you're a loser Cohen and before I came along, you'd barely even spoken to a girl before.'

'So you mean when I'm not around and you're feeling hot, you………………you just like-'

'Yep, I fly solo, you got a problem with that?'

'No, God no, I really don't have a problem with that. I just hope you're thinking of me when you do it.'

'Afraid not Cohen, I like to mix it up. A little bit of Johnny Depp, maybe some Orlando Bloom, George Clooney's always a classic choice, oh then there's Ja-'

'Okay okay just stop,' he interjected, glaring at her angrily, 'I can't believe you cheat on me with all these hot famous guys in your imagination.'

'Oh grow up,' Summer scoffed, 'I don't care that you've got hundreds of porn sites saved in your favourites list on your laptop. Let me guess, you don't use them as jerk-off material, you just look at them without touching yourself,' she added sarcastically. An embarrassed pink tint crept into Seth's cheeks.

'You weren't supposed to know about them,' he mumbled.

'Well I do and I don't really care, it's natural to sometimes fantasize about other people. Believe me, even though all those guys are sooooo hot, if I had to choose between having sex with any of them or you, I'd pick you every time. And I'm sure it'd be the same for you if you had a choice between me or the porno sluts.' Seth just nodded sulkily.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, Seth still moping with his hands in his pockets and a childish pout on his face. Summer just ignored him, she knew he was prone to these little mood swings and that if she just blanked him for five minutes, he'd get bored and revert to being his normal, rambling, annoying self.

Summer caught his eye and he just scowled at her so she stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her eyes. She didn't care that she looked stupid because she knew he was trying to hold in that adorable dimple-filled grin that made her legs turn to jelly, and she really wanted to see it. She continued to pull funny faces until he couldn't hold it any more and broke out into the big grin that'd been threatening to appear for a while. He shook his head and gave her a playful shove. She grinned back before looking both ways and leaning up to give him a gentle peck.

'About freaking time,' Seth said when they pulled apart.

'What?' He pointed behind her and she followed his finger until her eyes rested and a fresh turd lying on the grass a few feet from them. 'HA!' she shouted triumphantly, 'I told you so, I knew she needed one and you didn't believe me, you owe me an apology. Say sorry Summer, I was wrong, you were right, you're the queen of the universe.'

'Sorry Summer, I was wrong, you were right, you're the queen of the universe,' Seth deadpanned.

'Thank you baby,' Summer said with a sweet smile, leaning up to give him another peck on the lips.

'Whatever. Now please will you pick it up and then we can go do something fun,' he whined. Summer rolled her eyes before pulling a poop sack out of her pocket, walking over to the crap, picking it up and tying the bag closed. She strolled over to a nearby bin and threw it in before walking back to him with a pleased expression on her face. She still couldn't believe she could now pick up dog shit without even gagging slightly, it was quite an achievement for her considering she'd always been obsessed with having impeccable personal hygiene.

'Happy now asshat?' she said as she bent down and attached the leash to the dog's collar. Seth nodded in reply. 'Now we can do something fun.' Seth opened his mouth to reply but was cut off before he even had a chance to speak. 'Don't you dare say sex Cohen because it's nine in the morning and I only had a shower an hour ago.' He closed his mouth and looked at her blankly.

'I'm fresh out of ideas then,' he finally said.

'Oh my God I can't believe you, this whole time you've been whining about doing something fun you've only had sex on your mind,' she said with a glare as they began to walk off.

'Summer I'm a guy, sex is always on my mind.'

'Well we're just gonna have to find something else to do because I'm not doing that……………….that can wait till tonight,' she replied with a flirtatious grin. Seth smirked gleefully, happy at the fact that he was gonna get some. They continued walking towards her house silently, both trying to think of something fun to do, Newport really was as boring as hell. 'I'VE GOT IT,' Summer squealed after a few minutes, 'it's a little crazy but it'd definitely be fun.'

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'I can't believe I let you talk me into this, my parents are gonna kill me,' Seth mumbled from the drivers seat.

'Relax Cohen, I'll take the blame.'

'Damn right you will. If I told them it was my idea they'd probably beat me to death but you, they love you more than me, if you accept responsibility they'll most likely just say don't do it again.' Summer rolled her eyes, they'd been driving for four hours and already she'd had more than enough of his whining.

'Will you just shut up and keep your eyes on the road, we told them we were going.'

'Leaving a note saying we've taken the car, a suitcase full of clothes and some snacks, and have fucked off to another country for a couple of days hardly qualifies as telling them.'

'Well we left them Laura's address.'

'Whatever, sugar-coat it all you like woman, you know as well as I do that the second they find that note they'll have a fucking fit and will probably be on the next flight out.' Summer sighed.

'I'm really starting to regret this.'

'See what I mean, it's not a good idea.'

'No I'm really starting to regret getting in this car for a nine hour drive with you, because if you don't SHUT………………..THE FUCK………………UP, I'm gonna BREAK YOUR FUCKING NOSE,' she replied, her voice continually rising until she was bellowing at him. After the rant, she exhaled a deep breath as if it was a relief to get it off her chest. Seth mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "bitch" but obeyed her command and drove silently.

'Come on Cohen don't be like that, you know it's a good idea,' Summer said sweetly after a few minutes, when the silence had started to get boring.

'No Summer it's not,' he replied sulkily, 'I'm gonna get totally destroyed.'

'Oh give it a rest you baby, I've already told you I'll take responsibility,' Summer snapped, starting to get frustrated again. 'Besides, we'll have a hotel room to ourselves for two full nights, who knows what could happen,' she said with a seductive grin, flirtatiously resting a hand on his arm. She watched him try and fail to suppress a grin.

'Yeah you're right,' Seth replied with a smirk, 'this trip is a good idea.'

'Totally,' she said with a grin, 'and plus there's the fact that we get to see one of our best friends for the first time in months. I admit I haven't talked to her much but I know you do, I catch you on the phone to her all the time.'

'Oh……………..umm………………yeah sure, I call her all the time,' he replied in a strange voice. Summer thought he looked a little nervous and shifty, like he was hiding something, but she shrugged it off as him having a weird moment, God knows he had plenty of those.

'How long to go?' she asked demandingly.

'Umm sat nav say approximately five hours.'

'Well I bet we could do it in four if you didn't drive like my great grandmother,' she replied teasingly.

'HEY, it's called the speed limit, you should try it sometime,' Seth countered with a glare.

'Cohen we're in the middle of nowhere, it's a straight road you can see down for like a gazillion miles and we haven't seen building or another car in like five minutes, screw the speed limit and hit the gas you little bitch.'

'NO, my car, my rules,' he replied forcefully.

'DRIVE FASTER!'

'NO!'

'Pull over,' Summer whispered venomously.

'What, why?'

'I SAID PULL OVER,' she snapped. Seth did as he was told because he was shit scared, he thought she might've gone into a blackout and he was in for a beating Summer Robert's style. When the car came to a halt, she hopped out and stomped round to his side. He rolled up the window to offer himself some protection. Yeah as if that'd do any good, knowing her when she got in her current mood she'd probably punch through it to get to him. 'Get out,' she said forcefully with a deadly glare.

'No way,' he replied in a terrified voice. She went for the door handle but he was quicker and pushed down the lock, causing all the other doors to lock too, he was safe for now.

'Cohen, if you get out right now I promise I won't hurt you………………much.' Seth sighed, his only option was to get out and take her beating because the longer he defied her, the more painful it would be. He cautiously popped the door open and slipped out, standing in front of her. He fixed her with a pleading look that clearly said "please make it as quick and painless as possible".

Summer calmly and casually took a few deep breaths before……………BAM, she slammed her knee into his thigh, giving him the most painful dead leg imaginable. As he collapsed to the floor, clutching his leg and whimpering like a baby, she hopped in the car and started it up. 'Get in Cohen, I'm gonna teach you how to drive,' she shouted at his crumpled body which was still on the floor.

'I can't move, I'm dying,' he whimpered dramatically in reply, causing her to roll her eyes.

'If you're not in this car in the next ten seconds Cohen, I'm leaving you in the desert to rot. 1……2…….3……' Knowing she probably wasn't joking, Seth got up and hobbled round to the passenger side as quick as he could, he made it to the seat by 9.

'Shit Summer, there was no need fo-' Before he could finish or even strap in, they were up at a hundred miles per hour and his hands had instinctively moved in front of him, gripping the dashboard. 'Okay okay I get it, you can drive fast, now can you please slow down a bit,' Seth shouted over the roar of the engine in an absolutely petrified voice. Summer just turned to face him with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow. 'THE ROAD, WATCH THE ROAD,' he screamed, looking like he could vomit. Summer just rolled her eyes and turned the radio on. She switched it to a hip-hop station and turned it up full blast.

'WOOOO HOOOOO, THIS IS HOW TO DRIVE COHEN,' she screamed at the top of her lungs in order to be heard above Busta Rhymes, who was currently pumping out the stereo. Seth just put his head in his hands. This was going to be the quickest long distance trip of his life but it was definitely going to feel like the longest. He'd always suspected that Summer was a little crazy and judging on this performance, damn was he right.

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**Three and a half** hours later, the car came screeching to a halt outside a hotel in Santa Catarina, a suburb of the city of Monterrey. Santa Catarina itself was huge, with a population of more than a quarter of a million and it was only one borough of Mexico's third biggest city, a city which including all the surrounding areas, had well over three million inhabitants.

Seth jumped out the car and leaned back against it, breathing heavily and thanking both Jesus and Moses that he was still alive. Never had he had such a horrifying experience. 'See, I told you we could make it in less than four hours,' Summer said happily when she popped out. Seth glared intensely at her.

'Never again Summer I swear, never again. I always thought you might be fucking nuts and this was the proof I needed.'

'I'm not crazy you moron, I'm just not a pansy like you.'

'Summer you blatantly disregarded the law, other people's safety and more importantly, our own safety,' he replied incredulously.

'I slowed down in residential areas.'

'What to eighty, why that's very considerate of you Summer,' he said sarcastically. Summer rolled her eyes.

'Whatever, just shut the hell up and grab the bags Cohen,' she ordered in reply. Seth opened the trunk with a massive scowl on his face, still mumbling about how he was dating a psycho under his breath. Summer walked confidently into the hotel, Seth hauling two huge suitcases behind her. He didn't know why the hell she'd had to pack so damn much, they were only gone for two days for Christ's sake.

The hotel was a nice one, certainly better than some of the others they'd seen on the way. It looked about three star but considering Summer was used to staying in five star wherever she went, it definitely wasn't up to her incredibly high standards. She rang the bell and the concierge appeared. 'Hi,' she said with a sweet smile, 'can we get the best room available please.'

'No dogs,' he replied in an accent so strong she could barely understand, pointing down at Chrissie. She'd had to bring her because her father was, as usual, out of town and no one would be there to look after her. Summer sighed and pulled two thousand Mexican Peso's out her pocket, the equivalent of about a hundred and eighty dollars. The guy's eyes almost doubled in size when she waved it in front of him.

'If the dog stays, you can have this little tip, do we have a deal?' The guy nodded eagerly. She handed the notes to him and he looked about ready to pass out with glee as he counted the money. 'Now, as I was saying, I'll take the best room in the place.'

After they'd got settled in their room, they decided to walk to Laura's seeing as she only lived a couple of miles away. They had her address, a streetmap and a vague idea of where they were going but that was about it. They were strolling down the sidewalk at a gentle pace. It was 8pm and the sun was setting, kids were playing soccer in the street and racing scooters up and down, it was a nice neighbourhood and had a subdued feel about it. Although it wasn't the cleanest of places, all Mexican cities generally weren't, it was definitely nice compared to some of the places they'd seen on the way. Six months ago, Summer would've thought it was totally ew but now she didn't mind it, she actually thought it seemed like a half decent place to live. Seth had definitely made her a lot less snobby in the time they'd been together.

They were walking hand in hand and Seth loved it, it was the first time they'd ever done it and it felt great to show the world that Summer was with him, that he'd somehow managed to get the most stunning, perfect, amazing girl in the world. Admittedly, it would've felt even better had they been walking down Newport pier for all the Harbor buttheads to see, but if this was all he could have at the moment he'd take it. At least it confirmed that she wasn't totally ashamed of him, just when it came to people who knew her.

'This is nice,' Summer said with a happy sigh and a big smile, resting her head on his shoulder.

'Yeah, it's nice to be able to show the world that I landed a girl with a mega hot ass.' Summer gave him a little jab and a glare.

'HEY! I'm more than just a girl with a hot ass you know.'

'I know………………..you've also got hot boobs,' he countered with a cheeky grin. Summer glared harder at him and pulled her fist back to punch him again, but couldn't do it when she saw the pleading, puppy dog look on his face. She grinned and wrapped her arms round his neck, leaning up to kiss him gently.

'I suppose I'll let you off this time because you're right, I do have hot boobs,' she said when they pulled apart. Seth smirked and nodded before they linked fingers again and carried on walking. After a few minutes of walking they found a little coffee shop and stopped for a break. They sat on the chairs outside, Summer in Seth's lap with her arms round his neck, twirling the curls on the back of his head as they whispered sweet nothings in eachother's ears and exchanged loving kisses. It was a picture perfect scene and anybody watching could see they were both madly in love, a love that had the potential to last forever.

'You ready to go,' Seth whispered in her ear when they'd finished their coffee. Summer nodded and got off him, putting Chrissie back on her leash who'd been running around on a nearby patch of grass. They walked for a few more minutes, making small talk, bickering and flirting as normal before they rounded off onto a smaller street and then took another left into a pleasant little cul-de-sac. They found number seventeen in the far corner.

'Do you think she's gonna be happy to see us,' Seth said nervously.

'What, of course she will, why wouldn't she?'

'I dunno, some people don't like surprises, she might have a whole new life that she doesn't want us to be a part of.'

'Seth she loves you, you'll always be as important to her as she is to you. She'll be so happy to see you, trust me,' Summer said with a smile, wrapping her arms round his neck and leaning up to give him a reassuring kiss. She thought it was so cute that he was nervous, it was Seth Cohen at his finest. He nodded apprehensively and linked fingers with her again before setting off up the driveway. When he lifted his hand to knock on the front door, he hesitated for a second so Summer gave his hand a supportive squeeze. He bought his hand down and rapped on the door.

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'OH MY GOD.' Laura threw her arms round both of them at the same time and burst into tears. Summer grinned widely at Seth over her shoulder and mouthed "told you". He returned the grin and hugged Laura back. 'You guys,' she squealed with a watery eyed grin when she moved away, 'you came to visit me. This is great, I've missed you so much,' she added as she threw her arms round them again.

'Well we missed our favourite lesbian,' Seth said, causing her to give an amused snort and a playful shove.

'Seriously though, you drove nine hours to pay me a surprise visit, you guys are the best friends ever.'

'Don't feel too special,' Summer said teasingly, 'We've got a long weekend and we were bored shitless in Newport.'

'Still, this is like the greatest surprise EVER. DAD,' she shouted, 'COME HERE.' Jerry came to the door.

'What, HEY, stickman, what're you doing here?' he said in a surprised but thrilled tone, moving forward and giving Seth a man hug.

'Hey fatman, just thought it was about time I paid you guys a visit.'

'Well it's great to see you, and who's this young lady,' he said, smiling at an uncharacteristically shy Summer who was hovering in the background.

'Oh this is my absolutely gorgeous and might I add, completely crazy girlfriend Summer Roberts.'

'Nice to meet you Summer,' Jerry said, moving forward and shaking her hand.

'Nice to meet you too, and I'm not crazy, Seth just thinks that if you drive over fifty miles an hour you're a nutjob.'

'Summer, if you were to work out our average speed over the journey, it'd probably be about ninety. I'm telling you, she thinks she's Valentino freaking Rossi,' Seth mumbled exasperatedly.

'Oh leave her alone stickman,' Jerry scolded, 'the road here's just a straight line through the middle of the desert, it's perfect for fast driving.' Summer smirked at her boyfriend triumphantly.

'That's exactly what I said. I mean we went through periods where we wouldn't see another car or building for like fifteen minutes,' she said to Jerry. They all turned to Laura when she let out a loud squeal.

'Oh my God, who's this cutie pie,' she said, leaning down to stoke the excited looking Chrissie who she'd just noticed.

'Oh this is Chrissie, my dog,' Summer replied.

'You didn't have her when I left did you?'

'No, Seth got her for me for Christmas.' Laura's head shot up and looked at Summer open mouthed, in complete disbelief.

'You got her a dog,' she said to Seth in an impressed tone, 'nice move, I thought you'd be a complete idiot when it came to buying gifts for girls.'

'If you'll excuse me, I'll go make up the guestroom for you guys,' Jerry said.

'No need man, we already booked ourselves into the hotel a couple of miles down the road,' Seth replied.

'You didn't have to do that, you could've stayed here,' Jerry said crossly, 'I want you to go back to the hotel and cancel the room, we'd love to have you.'

'Uhh nah that's okay,' Seth said nervously. He didn't want to offend Jerry but he knew that he and Summer were gonna need the hotel room for naughty things.

'No I insist, please Seth, I'll be insulted if you don't.'

'Leave it dad, I think they booked a room for a reason,' Laura said with a knowing smirk. Seth and Summer both went bright red while Jerry stood there confused until it dawned on him what his daughter meant.

'Ahh it's like that is it,' he said with a smirk. Seth just nodded embarrassedly. 'Well in that case I'll let you off, just be safe.'

'God don't you start,' Seth said annoyedly, 'I get enough of that at home.'

'Well I'm just looking out for you seeing as I don't have to with Laura, I never have to worry about her bringing guys home.'

'Oh so you finally told him you were gay then,' Seth said to Laura.

'WHAT!!' Jerry bellowed, causing a horrified look to appear on Seth's face. Summer shot him the scariest look he'd ever received off her and he knew that tonight he was gonna be experiencing intense pain instead of the pleasure that'd been planned previously. 'Laura is this true?' Jerry spat. Laura just nodded silently.

They all stood in deadly silence for about half a minute until all of a sudden, Laura and her dad burst into laughter. 'Uhh, what's going on?' Seth asked, still looking totally petrified.

'She told me months ago but we got you good there,' Jerry replied through his howls, grabbing Seth in a playful headlock, 'admit it, you were absolutely terrified.'

'Ha ha, you got me good,' Seth mumbled embarrassedly, shoving Jerry away. 'I see you guys haven't changed a bit.' Seth looked over at Summer and she grinned at him, letting him know she wasn't mad and that they were still gonna have hot sex that night.

'Anyway, why have you come, don't you have school Monday?' Jerry enquired, still chuckling quite a bit.

'Uhh no we have a long weekend,' Seth replied.

'I'm surprised your parents have let you come though, I'm sure they wouldn't have if they knew what you were planning on doing tonight,' Jerry said with a smirk.

'Yeah umm, we kinda didn't tell them,' Seth said nervously, 'we just packed some bags and left them a note.' Jerry and Laura's mouths both fell open in disbelief, shortly replaced by intense glares.

'Seth Cohen,' Laura said angrily, 'your parents are awesome people who care about you more than anyone, they deserve better than that. Go and call them now, they're probably beside themselves with worry, GO!'

'Alright alright, come on Sum,' Seth mumbled, taking Summer's hand and dragging her down the driveway for some privacy.

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'Dude don't come home,' Ryan said as soon as he'd answered.

'Why not?'

'Because if you do, it'll be the last thing you ever do. I'm telling you man, you've gone too far this time.' Seth frowned with the phone pressed against his ear. Summer, who had her ear close and was listening to the conversation, was also frowning.

'Put one of them on, let me talk to them.'

'They don't wanna talk to you right now, I've never seen them this disappointed in you. It's not even at the anger stage yet, it's just disbelief and upset. Kirsten's been crying and you know how strong she is.' Seth felt his heart break at the thought of his mom crying. Although he rarely told them, he really did love his parents and they were hurting because of him. He felt more horrible than he'd ever felt.

'Please just put one of them on Ry,' Seth said desperately, 'I need to talk to one of them.'

'I can't man, they don't want to talk to you right now. They gave me specific instructions to phone you and make sure you were safe which I was about to do before you called. I'm sorry Seth but you've really let them down this time, it's gonna take a while for them to get over this.'

'Why?' Seth replied angrily, 'I've been on long distance trips with you before, Comicon was a five hour drive.'

'I know but, don't get offended man, I think they see me as the sensible one that'll always make sure you don't get into trouble. Summer though, I don't think they consider her responsible enough to make sure you don't get into mischief.' Summer bit her lip to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt devastated for several reasons, the first being that Seth's parents were really disappointed at both Seth and her all because of her stupid idea and secondly, because they didn't see her as mature enough to look after herself and more importantly, their ever childish, immature and naive son.

'Well what should I do then,' Seth said urgently, looking as if he too could cry, 'tell me what you think I should do and I'll do it.'

'Honestly, I think you should do what you went down there to do, enjoy a long weekend away with Summer, I'll let them know you're safe. I'll watch them over the weekend and see how they're acting after a few days then I'll call you with a plan of action when you're coming back.'

'Thanks Ry,' Seth said miserably, 'you're an awesome brother.'

'Don't worry about it and just for the record, I'd do exactly the same thing if I had the guts to risk upsetting your parents. Newport is as boring as shit, I can see why you wanted to get out for a couple of days.'

'Yeah, thanks buddy. Can you do one last favour for me please, can you tell them I love them.'

'Will do and don't worry Seth, they're still your parents and just because you let them down badly, it doesn't mean they'll stop loving you back. Why do you think they're so upset in the first place? It's because they love you and they're worried about you. Anyways, I gotta go, talk to you later.'

'Yeah okay, talk to you later buddy, bye.' Seth hung up the phone looking absolutely miserable. He spaced out momentarily, visualizing horrible images of his mother crying because of him, but was bought back to earth when he heard a sniffle. He turned to see Summer standing there with tears pouring down her face.

'Your parents hate us and it's all because of me,' she sobbed.

'No Summer don't cry. You heard Ryan, they're just a bit disappointed, nothing that can't be fixed,' he said softly as he comfortingly wrapped her in a tight embrace and soothingly stroked her back. Summer nodded into his chest but continued to sniffle for a further five minutes as he gently rocked her back and forth.

Summer hated the fact that she'd let Sandy and Kirsten down. In the last three months they'd become huge influences on her life in general and the young woman she was becoming. While she'd wanted to be just like her mother before she'd left, they had now filled that role and Summer though that if she turned out anything like Kirsten Cohen both personally and professionally, she'd have accomplished more than she'd ever dreamt of. They were definitely the parental figures in her life now, she loved them way more than her workaholic asshole of a biological father. 'What do you think I'm gonna have to do to get them to forgive me,' Summer said weakly as she pulled back and looked at him with puffy eyes.

'Nothing because I'm taking full responsibility,' Seth replied simply, causing Summer's mouth to fall open.

'No Cohen you can't, I won't let you, it was my idea so I should take full responsibility.'

'Yeah but I know that for some weird reason, their respect means a hell of a lot to you, and you mean a hell of a lot to me so I'll take the fall. I will not have you upset because of my parents, I will not have you upset period, you mean too damn much to me,' he said strongly.

Summer just stood there staring at him, completely stunned by how much love she felt for him at that moment. She opened her mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come, so instead she just threw herself at him and crushed her lips against his in the most intense, fiery, adoring kiss she'd ever given and ever would. They made out for a full five minutes non-stop, Laura and her father stood uncomfortably at the top of the driveway, looking at anything but them.

'Cohen, I need you now,' Summer panted desperately when they pulled apart. She'd never felt so horny in her entire life. Seth, who was also breathing heavily and looked crazy with desire, just nodded his head in reply. Summer grabbed his hand and began yanking him and Chrissie forcefully towards the main road.

'We're at the _León Mesón _two miles down the boulevard, room 42, come over in the morning,' he shouted over his shoulder at Jerry and Laura who were stood there, mouths hanging open in disbelief.

As they watched the teens hurrying back to their hotel, Jerry put an arm round his daughter and said, 'have they always been that hot for eachother,' with an amused smirk.

'Oh yeah, they haven't changed a bit.'

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**A/N – There you go folks. Sorry it took longer than normal to get this up but I was feeling a tad burnt out so I took a little break. Don't worry folks, MAJOR DRAMA next chapter. Anyways, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, they're my drug and I'm addicted lol!!**


	25. Once upon a time in Mexico

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews folks, although seven reviews is not a good response, I'm not very happy right now. Anyways, here's the next chapter, enjoy and please leave a review.**

**WARNING – EXTREME sexual content in this one, definitely rated M so be warned.**

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Seth awoke then next morning to find Summer naked and snuggled as close to him as possible. He smiled at the sight of her, she had her face and hands pressed against his chest. He could sit and watch her sleep for hours due to the fact that she was incredibly fidgety and was always doing some small, unconscious action that was quite humorous to watch. In the many hours he'd sat up and watched her in peaceful slumber over the last three months, he'd seen her do many various things such as stick out her tongue, raise her eyebrows, grin or frown, kiss his chest if her face was buried in it and even lightly squeeze or stroke whatever part of his body she was clinging onto. Sometimes she'd sit up in her sleep and he'd even known her to go into long-winded rambles that made absolutely no sense and eventually trailed off into nothingness. She sounded exactly the same asleep as he did awake.

Seth knew it was a sleeping disorder and had some long scientific name but he didn't care, it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen, he just called it adorable-itis. He wasn't even sure if she knew she was a sleep-talker/groper/kisser, he'd never asked her about it because he imagined it'd be a subject she was rather touchy about if she did indeed know about it.

He looked down at her and grinned as she began to lightly rub her nose against his chest, obviously trying to satisfy some imaginary itch. She fidgeted for a few seconds, her subconscience apparently deciding that she wasn't comfortable enough, before rolling over and on her other side to face the wall and pushing her bare back up against him. He inhaled a sharp breath as she unconsciously pushed her naked ass tightly against his crotch area, causing him to harden rapidly.

Seth began tracing light kisses along her neck and upper back, watching in amusement as she shuddered slightly and squirmed a little. As she twitched to try and find a new position to settle into, her ass rubbed rhythmically against his hard manhood, driving him insane with lust. He knew she was a light sleeper, he also knew that she wasn't usually a morning person and that if he woke her up she wouldn't be as cute as she currently was, but he couldn't stop himself from touching her. She was just so stunningly perfect in every single way that all he ever wanted to do was to kiss her, to touch her, to love her.

Knowing that even though she was his girlfriend she wouldn't be happy if he touched her sexually while she was asleep, Seth got up and went to the bathroom. He splashed cold water over his face and still rock hard weapon that ached to be used, trying to calm himself down. He was so obsessed by her that that always seemed to happen. She would just be doing random things, sleeping, eating, doing her homework, and Seth would find himself becoming increasingly aroused at the sight of her, such was her perfection in his eyes.

Seth staggered back into the room and climbed into bed again. He pushed himself close to Summer and draped an arm over her waist but was surprised when she rolled over to show she was awake. 'Morning baby,' she said drowsily with a sleepy grin, leaning up to give him the softest of kisses, 'where'd you go?'

'Oh I went to the bathroom to try and calm myself down. You looked so freaking hot laid there sleeping that I just wanted to wake you up and ravish you,' he said with a grin, 'but I know how you don't like to be woken up so I had to control myself via some other means, the cold water method worked quite well.'

'Why are you feeling so hot, didn't you get enough of me last night Cohen,' she said teasingly with a raised eyebrow and a drowsy smirk.

'Oh I got enough, believe me I got enough. Last night was-'

'Amazing,' Summer cut in softly, a dreamy grin on her face remembering back to the night before. 'If you don't mind me asking, how the hell are you so good? I mean it's always been mind-blowing between us, I can't think of a single time when it hasn't been but last night…………..last night was just something else, I came four times.' Seth's eyes bulged at her words.

'Holy shit, I am good. I suspected you came more than once but **four times**, and in one time too, WOW. I mean it was awesome for me but I have no idea how good that must've felt. Guys can't really do it like that, we come once and then need a bit of a rest.'

'Well it did feel kinda good,' Summer replied with a giggle, 'whatever you did last night, make sure to remember it and do it again.'

'I didn't do anything that I don't normally do, you've just never been that freaking horny. I've never seen you like that before, you were like a beast, ripping my clothes off with a totally crazed look in your eye. What got you so damn hot?'

'Just you being the perfect boyfriend, insisting on taking the blame even though it's totally my fault. You're so sweet and perfect and gorgeous, I really don't deserve a guy like you.'

'Are you kidding Sum, it's me who doesn't deserve you, you deserve so much more than I could ever give you.'

'I don't want anything more or anything less, I just want you the way you are, as long as I've got you I'll always be happy,' Summer replied with a big grin, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his in a passionate embrace. 'So you watch me sleep Cohen, that's kinda stalkerish,' she said teasingly when they parted.

'Well I can't help it, you just look so beautiful. Well there's not a minute in the day when you don't look totally stunning to me but there's something about you sleeping, you just look so cute, so innocent, so perfect,' he mumbled, blushing embarrassedly. Summer wanted to squeal at his words, he always knew exactly what to say to make her stomach do somersaults and her heart to pound with love. She moved in for a passionate kiss. They entertained each other with their tongues for several minutes, both getting hotter by the second.

'I thought you got this under control,' Summer panted with a grin when they pulled apart, grasping his rock hard penis in her hand and stroking it slowly.

'Well making out with the most beautiful girl on the planet kinda makes me lose control again,' he whispered back huskily. Summer felt warmth spread through her body at his words. She loved that he always told her she was beautiful and she knew he genuinely meant it. She thought he deserved a reward for being such a perfect boyfriend.

'We better do something about this, we wouldn't want all this hardness going to waste would we,' she whispered seductively, lightly nipping at the skin on his neck with her teeth. Seth just shook his head in reply, blindly feeling around the nightstand for the box of condoms. Before he even had the chance to find it though, Summer lifted herself up and slowly lowered herself onto him, taking in his full length. She gasped, closed her eyes and bit her lower lip as she eased him in.

'Oh God, S-Summer………………wh-what are you doing,' Seth moaned with closed eyes, 'what about protection?'

'I'm on the pill Cohen,' Summer whimpered as she began to grind forward and backward, causing pleasure to flow through her veins.

'Yeah b-b-but we normally u-use a condom anyway, it's s-safer,' Seth panted, struggling to get the words out as he was finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the breathtaking girl rhythmically grinding herself against him.

'I think we'll be okay this once,' Summer replied in a high pitched tone, breathing heavily and fixing him with a lustful gaze. Without giving him the chance to reply, she thrust herself upwards as hard and fast as she possibly could. Seeing that she was rising fast and that his manhood was about to leave her, Seth quickly grabbed her hips and crashed her back down as hard as he could. This made Summer moan in ecstasy so he did it again, and again, and again.

They'd been together physically hundreds of times since they'd become a couple and most of those times, whether they were gentle and sweet or forceful and passionate, had been all about their love and physically expressing it. This time though, was nothing to do with feelings. All thoughts of love had gone out the window and it was all about the thrill of bodies colliding together as forcefully as possible, of muscles contracting violently, of making the other moan in heavenly bliss. It wasn't making love and couldn't even be called having sex, it was pure and simple hot fucking.

So what if they were in love, it didn't have to be about that all the time. Sometimes it could just be about having fun, about plain and simple mind-blowingly intense physical pleasure. They'd spent the entire previous night physically showing each other how much they loved one another. This morning though was all about primal urges, they both wanted nothing more than to make the other moan, to make them scream and beg for more, to make them come.

'HOLY SHIT, OH MY GOD, YES RIGHT THERE, OH SHIT, OH FUCK!! COME ON COHEN THAT'S IT, FUCK ME, FUCK ME HARDER, RIGHT THERE, OH YEAH,' Summer screamed loudly as she continued to ferociously buck up and down on him. Seth's eyes widened at the sight of his girlfriend screaming as she rode him. She'd always been loud but that was usually restricted to moaning his name or gasping for him to go faster. Never before had she asked him to "fuck her harder" but he obeyed her command nonetheless, thrusting upwards to meet her each time she crashed down onto him.

Summer felt like she was on fire. Her whole body ached, not with pain but intense pleasure. She could barely breathe. She put her head back as she moved forcefully against him, screaming like she'd never screamed before. Her whole body was a crimson colour. She put her hands on the bed behind her, trying to give herself some support because she felt so weak she thought she could collapse at any second. With one last echoing scream and forceful crash against him, Summer let go powerfully, thrashing her head wildly and her whole body shuddering violently as complete and utter euphoria overtook her from head to toe.

Normally the sight and feeling of her climaxing was enough to send Seth over the edge to join her, but this time he wanted more. He wasn't ready to finish yet, he wanted to hear her scream his name some more and to see her come again. Feeling a sudden burst of strength and confidence, he cupped her ass and picked her up, pinning her against the wall and starting to pound into her again. Summer looked at him with wide eyes as she moaned, obviously shocked but delighted nonetheless. She had barely calmed down from her amazing previous orgasm and already she could feel ecstasy beginning to pulsate through her again.

After five minutes of intense fucking up against the dirty hotel wall, Seth could feel himself approaching rapidly. He wanted to hold on so he could meet her but he didn't know if he'd be able to. 'OH...SHIT...SUMMER...YOU'RE...SO…..HOT...I'M...GONNA...COME,' he moaned loudly, thrusting powerfully into her with every word. Summer just screamed his name in response, digging her nails into his back and biting down hard into his shoulder. It would've hurt had he not been so horny, but it just turned him on even more and made him fuck her harder. Seth felt himself begin to throb inside her before finally exploding powerfully. He shuddered violently and had to use all his little remaining strength to keep them upright, he felt incredibly weak at the knees as if he could collapse any second. He let out a low groan and closed his eyes, burying his face in her sweaty chest as he gave the odd thrust.

The feeling of Seth exploding inside her finally pushed Summer over the edge again. Normally there was a condom to stop his juices from flowing inside her, but they hadn't used one this time and she was glad of that because honestly, it felt fucking amazing. As she came ferociously, she turned a brilliant shade of red and roughly grabbed two fistfuls of his hair, she screamed his name repeatedly as she struggled to breathe.

Seth stumbled backwards, still inside her, and crashed back onto the bed. They were both completely soaked in sweat, panting heavily and groaning softly as aftershocks of bliss flew through their bodies. Seth ran his hands across her sweat soaked back and ass while she buried her face in his chest, trailing gentle kisses along it. Neither had ever felt more sexually satisfied than they had in the last twenty-four hours. Their sex life had always been fantastic, but the sexual adventures of Mexico would definitely be remembered for many years to come, possibly even their whole lives.

After a little while of nothingness, Seth pulled out of Summer and gazed into her beautiful brown eyes. They both had relaxed, satisfied grins on their faces. 'I don't know about you, but I definitely think we should make this trip an annual thing.'

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'Hey guys,' Laura said brightly as Summer flung open the hotel room door.

'Hey,' Summer replied happily. It was ten in the morning and had been and hour since she and Seth had had their amazing sex session. Since then they'd showered, together of course, and cleaned up the room as best they could. They still couldn't hide the fact that they'd recently fucked though because of the warm post-sex glow that was plastered all over both their faces.

'Whoa, it's not obvious what you've been doing,' Laura said sarcastically as she walked in.

'What do you mean,' Summer replied, closing the door behind her.

'Well umm, you're both literally glowing and grinning from ear to ear and that can only mean one thing, crazily hot sex.' They both went an even deeper red than they already were at their friend's words.

'We hav-'

'Don't even try to deny it Seth Cohen,' she cut in, wagging her finger. 'Now come on, it's time for you losers to get out and get some fresh air, see the sights courtesy of Laura's Tour Guides. Considering you were doing it all last night and this morning, I think you've had enough of each other for now.'

'Are you kidding, look at her Laura, she's stunning. I can never get enough of my Summy,' Seth replied with a grin. Laura turned to Summer who just smirked and shrugged.

'Ew Cohen, don't call me Summy, its lame. And you're not too bad yourself.'

'Why thank you gorgeous.'

'Umm, guys, I hate to break up this verbal foreplay thing you've got going but I really wanna get out this stuffy, sex-infested hotel room.'

'Umm, before we go,' Seth replied, 'I'm gonna nip down to the café and get some food. We're starving for some reason, aren't we darling.' Summer grinned and nodded.

'Bring me back some pancakes, blueberry please.'

'You got it,' Seth said, moving forward and wrapping his arms round her waist, leaning in for a gentle kiss. 'I'll be back in ten.' With that he slipped out the door, leaving Summer and Laura alone.

'So you two seem happy, you can't keep your hands off each other,' Laura said with a grin.

'Yeah we've never been better, life is just so perfect at the moment,' Summer replied with a huge grin and a dreamy sigh. Laura smirked amusedly at her friend.

'Would that be the fact that you're in love or the super sex talking,' she teased.

'A mixture of both,' Summer said absently.

'WHAT!! So you do admit you're in love then,' Laura asked in a shocked tone.

'What, oh yeah, I realized that months ago. I'm completely and utterly, one hundred percent head over heels in love with Seth "dorkface" Cohen, and I wouldn't have it any other way.' Laura let out a shriek of happiness and threw her arms around Summer.

'Have you told him yet, do you acknowledge he's your boyfriend in public now?' she babbled excitedly.

'No on both accounts I'm afraid,' Summer replied with an unhappy sigh, causing Laura's smile to fade a little, 'but don't worry, I'm working on it. I'm actually gonna make us public as soon as we get back to school. I don't care what people think anymore, they can think what they like because as long as I've got him I'll be fine.'

'And then?' Laura urged her to continue, a massive grin on her face.

'Then if I can handle all the bitching and we're still going strong after a couple of weeks, I'll tell him I love him,' she replied with a huge, happy smile. Laura squealed and threw her arms round her friend again.

'Oh my God this is so amazing.'

'I know,' Summer replied excitedly, 'I mean I never believed in love until he came along but now? Now I definitely know it's real and it's the best feeling in the world.'

'Well I'm so happy for you guys. Anyways,' she said, taking Summer's hand and dragging her to the bed, 'back to more current issues. How genuinely awesome was this sex that's put you in such a good mood?'

'Why do you wanna know, you're not normally this girly and gossipy. Plus there's the fact that you're gay so straight sex should gross you out.'

'It doesn't matter if I'm gay or not, sex is sex and I want details, now spill.'

'Okay. Well it's always been perfect between us but last night and this morning were just at another level,' Summer replied with a dazed grin.

'How do you mean?'

'I don't know, it's just been so intense since we've been here. I don't know if there's something in this Mexican air or what, but whatever it is it's sending us wild for each other.'

'What kind of intense? Is it like gentle and loving or you know, hard and nasty,' Laura enquired with a giggle.

'Both. Last night after he said he'd take responsibility for this trip, which was totally my idea by the way, I just felt so much love for him it was unreal. So I dragged him back here and we stayed up all night making love, not having sex, making love, as in expressing that emotion through our sexuality. There was just so much raw emotion flying around during the whole thing. It was tender, it was adoring, it meant something.'

'And this morning?'

'This morning was just HOT!' Summer said with a smirk. 'We'd got all that lovey-dovey crap out of our systems last night and this morning was just about making each other come. It was hard, it was rough, there was lots of screaming involved. It was like we weren't a couple, it was like we were two randoms hooking up for a one night stand before never seeing each other again. You know, fun, hot, wild, but in the long run it didn't mean anything.'

'And which did you like best?'

'Well they're both awesome and feel good, **really good**, but if I'm being honest I like the meaningful times more. Rough sex is just not us. I always thought I would be that girl but Seth's changed me, he makes me want it to be expressive and about love, not just physical pleasure.'

'Uh huh, so you won't be getting freaky again?'

'I don't know. Like I said, it was fun but just didn't feel right. At least it gave us some perspective on what it'd be like if we ever broke up, heaven forbid.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well I don't know about him, but I just love him so much that I don't know if I'd ever be able to fall in love with somebody else. So if we did break up, I'd never be able to make love again because my heart just wouldn't be in it. I'd be destined for a life of casual sex you know, enjoyable, feels good, but no feelings involved, and I really don't want that.'

'Yeah, I'm sure Seth feels exactly the same way. Oh well, it just means you're gonna have to work extra hard at staying together,' Laura said happily, 'if anyone can go the distance it's you guys.'

'Yeah, thanks Laura. And thanks for everything, this awesome life I have now is all because of you.'

'What did I do?' she asked confusedly.

'You gave me the push I needed to get together with Seth and the fact that I'm so happy is all because of him, therefore it's all your doing and I'll be forever grateful for that.'

'Yeah but the way you guys were falling for each other I could've stayed out of it and it still would've happened. You guys are meant to be together, its plain for all to see.'

'Yeah you're probably right, we probably were always gonna end up together, but who knows how long it would've taken had you not stuck your nose in. You sped up the whole process and I'm thankful for that.'

'Forget about it. I'm just happy that you've finally realized what I've been able to see for a while, that he's the only one for you, your soul mate, and you're exactly the same to him.' Summer just nodded in reply, feeling herself tearing up at Laura's words. She was on the verge of crying tears of joy because she knew Laura was totally right, Seth was **the one**. She'd found the great love of her life and she was only seventeen.

'Yeah enough about me and Cohen,' Summer mumbled, wanting to change the subject before she got too emotional, 'have you found anyone special yet?'

'No not yet,' Laura replied shyly, 'though I have been trying. Since I've come out to my family and they took it well, I've felt a lot more comfortable with my sexuality. I've been on a few dates with girls from different schools, I still don't want my whole school knowing I'm gay.

'Well that makes sense, high schools hard enough for the average teenager, let alone a gay one. We need to find you a woman though. OH MY GOD, I've got an awesome idea,' Summer squealed.

'What, just like your idea to come down here without telling Seth's parents was awesome,' Laura teased.

'Yeah but nothing can go wrong with this idea, it's flawless.' They were interrupted by Seth walking in, bag of food in hand.

'Here you go my darling,' he said as he plopped down on the bed next to Summer and passed her the bag, 'blueberry pancakes as ordered.'

'mmmmmmm, thank you sweetheart, you're a superstar,' she replied, giving him a peck on the lips before digging in.

'So what's this plan of yours,' Laura said after watching the exchange with amusement. Summer grinned, leant over to her and whispered her plan in her ear, careful not to let Seth hear.

'No Summer that's really not a good plan, I'm not doing it.'

'Why not, you scared?'

'No I just-'

'Yes you are, you're scared.'

'I'm not scared,' Laura snapped.

'Prove it,' Summer said challengingly.

'Fine I will, I'll do it. What about Seth though?'

'What exactly is going on and what about me?' Seth asked confusedly.

'You'd be up for going out tonight and trying to help our dear friend Laura find some romance wouldn't you babe?'

'Yeah sure,' Seth said, shrugging indifferently and returning his attention to his pancakes, 'sounds like fun.' Summer squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly while Laura shook her head, smirking amusedly.

'Oh it will be Cohen, don't you worry about that.'

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'Can we please just go Summer,' Seth said desperately.

'No,' she replied forcefully, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards a table near the back where it was less noisy, 'you said you'd come out and help Laura find a girl.'

'Yeah but I didn't know exactly what I was agreeing to. God I feel so out of my comfort zone here. I mean don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against these people but I just get the feeling that we really don't belong here and that they really don't want us here.'

Relax Cohen,' Summer said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, 'this is the 21st century, straight people go to gay clubs all the time nowadays.'

'I know but I hardly look like the manliest of guys do I. What if I get hit on, I already have a pretty serious mumbling problem when I'm in an everyday conversation.' Summer grinned at his clear nervousness and discomfort at the situation. She leant up and gave him a lingering kiss.

'Don't worry baby,' she said sweetly when they parted, 'just stay next to me all night and I'll fight off the droves of gay guys that'll be throwing themselves at you. You'd definitely be quite a catch but I'll make sure you're still straight at the end of the night, nobody's making my man switch teams.' Seth just smirked and nodded before flopping down onto a comfy leather chair and pulling her onto his lap.

They made out for a while before they were interrupted by Laura. 'I'm actually glad I did this, I'm having fun,' she said, happily as she collapsed on the chair next to them, sweating as she had just been on the dancefloor.

'I knew you would,' Summer replied with a grin, 'anybody caught your eye yet?'

'Oh yeah, there's definitely some fine women in here tonight,' she replied vacantly, unable to tear her eyes away from the dancefloor which was just a mass of people grinding their sweaty bodies against each other.

'So what are you looking for tonight, just a hook-up or the real thing?' Summer enquired.

'I'm looking for someone I like. I mean I've never even kissed a girl before so I want my first experiences to be with someone I could have a relationship with, not just some random.'

'That makes sense. Well just play the field, you know, casual chat, flirting, possibly give out your number if someone really catches your attention. You don't have to do anything drastic, one step at a time.'

'Yeah I know how the club scene works Summer,' Laura replied amusedly, 'just because it's a gay club it doesn't mean it's any different to straight ones.'

'Apart from the fact that there's a guy dressed as a sailor making out with a transvestite over there,' Seth cut in, 'you don't see that in your average, everyday straight club.' The two girls snorted with laughter.

'I bet you like that don't you Cohen,' Summer teased, 'I bet it turns you on.'

'Oh yeah,' Seth replied sarcastically, 'in fact, I think I'm gonna dump you right now and go off and find my very own transsexual to make out with.'

''Do it then, I dare ya.'

'I could do that, or I could go get us some drinks, what do you ladies want?' he asked as he got up.

'Umm, I'll have a Bacardi and coke please,' Summer replied.

'I'll take one too,' Laura added.

'Okay, watch my stuff please,' he said, pointing to his phone, ipod and car keys on the table. 'And I need to find the least fruity drink in here for myself, do you think they sell ale? No, whiskey, Scottish whiskey, yeah that's a man's drink. I don't wanna give off a gay vibe you see.' Summer snorted.

'Cohen you're in a gay club, you're exceptionally cute and you have curly, girlish hair. If I didn't know you weren't, I'd think you were the gayest guy in the place,' she said teasingly. Seth just glared at her in response before sticking his tongue out and walking off towards the bar.

'You guys really haven't changed a bit have you,' Laura said amusedly, 'you still love to emasculate him.'

'Well someone's gotta do it, we wouldn't want his ego getting too big would we?' Laura smirked and shook her head in reply. 'Besides, I definitely have changed, Seth's made me a lot less snobby and judgmental. You think I'd ever have come in here six months ago, no way in hell, but Seth's taught me to accept people who are different, he's also taught me to accept myself. I mean before he came along I was a heartless, gossiping, evil little bitch like the rest of my friends, but deep down I knew that wasn't the real me. He taught me to come out of my shell, to show people I'm not a ditz.'

'Yeah. I know what you used to be like and I gotta admit, you did play the role of ditzy newpsie-in-training very well. But when you started to hang with Seth, I saw you begin to change. Sure you'll always have a bitchy side but that's not a big part of you. What people see nowadays is this smart, kind, genuinely good person.'

'And that's who I want people to see, I told you I've changed and it's definitely for the better.'

'I suppose you have changed but Seth hasn't, he's still the same adorable, rambling geek he's always been and probably always will be.'

'Yep, and that's why I love him. Anyways, I thought you'd know that Seth is the same old Seth he's always been, you guys talk on the phone enough.'

'Umm, no we don't. We haven't talked since like before Christmas.'

'What?' Summer said confusedly, 'yes you have, I walked in on him talking to you just last week.'

'Sorry Summer, it wasn't me,' Laura mumbled.

'But he told me it was,' Summer replied in a panicky tone, all sorts of horrible thought racing through her mind. Why the hell would Seth lie to her about who he was talking to? She glanced down at his phone on the table and Laura instantly knew what she was thinking.

'Don't do it Summer, he loves you, he wouldn't ever do anything to risk your relationship. I'm sure there's a perfectly rational explanation.'

'Yeah you're right,' Summer said, more to reassure herself than Laura, 'I know he loves me, and I love him, I should trust him.' She leant back in her chair and put her face in her hands, trying to take her mind off his phone that her fingers ached to pick up. 'Don't do it Roberts, you love him and you trust him. You love him and you trust him. You love him and you trust him,' she whispered to herself repeatedly. Eventually though, her willpower gave way and she snatched the phone off the table, much to Laura's indignation.

'Summer don't, you'll just end up feeling guilty about it when you find out he's hiding nothing. He loves you more than anybody else, he'd never do any of the things you're probably thinking right now.'

'I know but I………..I have trust issues. You're probably right, it's most likely nothing and I'll end up feeling bad for ever doubting him, but I need to do this. I mean guys don't just lie to their girlfriends about who they've been talking to for no reason.' Laura gave a sad nod, knowing she was right and motioned for her to have a look. Summer took a shaky breath and flipped open the phone.

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Seth walked back to the table with three drinks in his hand. 'Hey baby,' he said happily as he saw Summer get out her chair and advance towards him. 'Some guy at the bar was totally checking me out, I was scared but also kinda flatte-' He was cut off by Summer crashing the palm of her hand into his cheek as forcefully as she possibly could.

'YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!' she screamed tears pouring down her face. 'I gave you everything, EVERYTHING!! My heart, my body, MY FUCKING VIRGINITY, and it still wasn't enough for you, you selfish son of a bitch,' she sobbed.

'Summer, wh-' He was cut off again by another incredibly painful slap that brought tears to his eyes.

'DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME,' she screamed, 'don't come near me, don't look at me, don't even breathe the same air as me. Just go rot in hell,' she cried.

'Summer, just please tell me what's going on,' Seth replied desperately, struggling to hold in his own tears, 'tell me what I've done wrong.'

'It's me who's done wrong by ever getting together with an asshole like you. All this time I've thought you were perfect, that you were the one for me. Turns out you're nothing but a LYING, CHEATING, SCUMBAG!!'

'Alright just stop,' Seth said angrily, 'would you mind telling me what the hell is going on.'

'I found out about your little slut on the side,' she whispered in a deadly voice. She then flipped his phone open. **'Seth, thanks for last night, I had a wonderful time. I hope we can do it again sometime soon, love Casey,'** she read in a high pitched voice before erupting into a fresh round of sobs. Seth put his head in his hands.

'Summer,' he whimpered desperately, reaching out a hand and putting it on her forearm, 'please just let me explain.'

'FUCK OFF! DON'T TOUCH ME YOU PRICK,' she screamed, ripping her arm away from his grip. 'W-was I not g-good enough for you, d-did I not s-satisfy you enough,' she whimpered, barely understandable because she was sobbing so hard, 'just tell me and I'll never make the same mistake when I find a guy who actually gives a fuck about me,' she added angrily with a cold stare when she'd finally regained some composure.

'Summer please don't do this,' Seth begged, tears now flowing freely down his face, 'I know I've been an idiot, I know I've made a mistake but I never cheated on you, I wouldn't, I couldn't. Please just give me a chance to explain.'

'Save it you dick, I've heard enough of your lies,' she said coldly. 'I deserve so much better than you. Well no more, as far as I'm concerned you don't exist anymore, you're dead to me.'

'No Summer you don't mean that. Just let me talk, you're not being fair.'

'FAIR? YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING ANOTHER GIRL FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG AND I'M THE ONE NOT BEING FAIR?' she screamed. 'Fuck you Seth Cohen. We're over, we're so over we never even happened, I've forgotten about you already.'

'WILL YOU JUST LISTEN,' he shouted angrily. 'I neve-'

'I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT,' she shouted before snatching his car keys off the table. 'Find your own way home, just don't come near me when you get there. Like I said, we're done and I never wanna see you again.' With that she barged past him roughly, still sobbing like mad, leaving Seth stood there with a stunned look and tears pouring down his own face.

He collapsed on a nearby chair and cried for a full five minutes. He'd lost the love of his life all because of a stupid misunderstanding. Even worse, he knew it was his entire fault, he knew she had trust issues but he lied to her repeatedly anyway. He also knew that with Summer Roberts you didn't get second chances, you fuck up once and that was it, it was finished, kaput, OVER. He knew the best days over his life had already passed and because of that, she wasn't the only one that wanted him to drop dead, he felt like dying himself.

He stopped crying when he heard someone approach him. He looked up with puffy eyes and saw Laura looking down at him with an anything but sympathetic look on her face. 'What the fuck possessed you to do it?' she said coldly. 'Summer deserves better.'

'I know Laura, I know. Do you think she'll calm down and give me a chance to talk to her?' he asked distraughtly.

'Honestly, no, I think you've fucked up beyond repair this time.' Seth just put his face in his hands and began to cry silently again. He knew that if Laura said they were done, they were done, she'd never lied to him before. It was official, his Summer was no longer his, and she never would be again.

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**A/N – Oooooooh, told you there was major drama coming up. I liked writing this chapter because it's a nice blend of dirtiness and drama, hope you enjoy. Since the last chapter didn't get the response I would've liked, I'm resorting to blackmail. I'm not gonna even start writing the next chapter until I've got ten reviews for this one. Ahhhahahahahaha, I'm evil I know but I don't care. Your only option is to hit that button below, so please do. Thanks.**


	26. I used to love you

**A/N – I am sooooo happy that I blackmailed you guys. 20 reviews is the largest response I've ever got so thank you very much. Now all you have to do is learn to do it on your own. Since you guys were so great at reviewing, I worked hard to get this out for you as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy it and if you continue to give me almost twenty reviews per chapter, I promise you that updates will always be this quick.**

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Seth sat staring out the window of the plane, completely lost in his thoughts, not nice thoughts at that. He was pale and had dark shadows under his eyes, he looked tired and even slightly ill. Inside, he felt about ten times worse than he looked, simply because his life had gone from being perfect to being in pieces, all in the space of a weekend. Summer was gone, he was alone, again.

After the club fiasco, he and Laura had gotten a cab back to the hotel and walked in the room to find Summer's clothes gone while his were scattered all over the place, some ripped to pieces. The TV and lamp had been smashed, the wooden chair was in bits and the bed sheets had been torn to shreds. In other words, she had completely fucking trashed the place, leaving him with a very hefty damages bill.

After the hotel, they'd gone to Laura's to see her father, who'd been looking after Chrissie while they were at the club. He told them that Summer had shown up sobbing hysterically and asking if she could have her dog because she was leaving. He said that when he'd tried to get her to calm down, she'd began screaming and cursing at him and seeing that he was never gonna get her to relax, he'd given in and let her have the dog. He said that then, without another word, she'd ran out of the house, hopped in the range rover and sped off into the distance.

Seth's was distraught. Getting her forgiveness wasn't his main concern, the top of his list of priorities was making sure she was safe and hadn't done anything stupid. He knew she had a tendency to deal with her problems in the wrong ways, getting drunk or walking around alone in the middle of the night to name a few. He just needed to know she was alright but she hadn't answered any of the hundred calls he'd given her. Laura had tried her plenty of times too but she just wouldn't pick up.

It was a good job he'd brought his passport and emergency credit card with him because needed to go home and wait for her to get there, he needed to know that she was okay. So it was with that in mind, that he was sat on the early morning plane on the way to John Wayne airport, praying that Summer was somewhere thirty thousand feet below him going in the same direction.

Seth stepped off the plane at eight thirty in the morning west coast time and was instantly hit with the thought that whoever created the saying_ 'Home Sweet Home'_, was a complete dick. He knew that his parents would still be pissed at him for going to Mexico in the first place so he decided to give his dear brother a call.

Thirty minutes later, Seth, who was sat in the airport café, saw Ryan walk in and begin to scan the crowd. He got up and trudged over to his adopted brother. When he got about ten feet from away, Ryan spotted him.

'Hey man, what are you doing on a plane?' he said confusedly as Seth approached, 'Where's the car and where the hell is Summer?'

'Just take me home,' Seth mumbled as he walked past him without even looking at him, 'I'll explain on the way.'

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'And then she just stole the car and ran away without even giving you a chance to explain,' Ryan asked disbelievingly as they drove towards the Cohen household.

'Yep, that's pretty much it,' Seth replied shortly.

'Wow that sucks man, I'm sorry. What are you gonna do?'

'I guess I'm just gonna go over there, get on my knees and beg for a chance to tell my side of the story.'

'How do you even know she's come home?'

'That's the thing, I don't and that's why I'm so fucking terrified at the moment. She could still be hundreds of miles away from home doing God knows what in God knows what state. When I last saw her she was a real mess and when she gets like that she can do some real dumb stuff.'

'Don't worry Seth I'm sure she's fine, she probably drove straight back to Newport.'

'Yeah you're probably right,' Seth replied with an unhappy sigh, 'but how the hell could I be so stupid to let it get to this in the first place. I mean I love her man, like really genuinely love her, and I knew she has insecurities about trusting people but I lied to her anyway. What the hell is wrong with me?'

'So you made a mistake. She should at least have given you the chance to explain yourself, to explain that it wasn't like she thought it was.'

'Yeah well you know Summer, she's always been a stubborn girl and once she gets something stuck in her head, it's stuck in there pretty damn good.'

'This sucks, it'll probably end up affecting me and Marissa because while I'm totally on your side, she'll definitely be on Summers.'

'Oh for fucks sake,' Seth mumbled angrily, 'I'm the one going through the crisis here yet you still have to make it all about you and your fucking girlfriend. I think you've been spending way too much time with her because you've picked up one of her worst habits, dramatizing everything and making it all about yourself.'

'Whoa man chill, I was just saying.'

'Well keep it to yourself in future,' he snapped as the car pulled into the Cohen driveway, 'thanks for the ride,' he added, not really sounding thankful at all as he hopped out and walked off towards the house.

He trudged into the kitchen and his parents turned to him and immediately fixed him with icy glares. 'Hello son,' Sandy said bitterly, 'nice to see you. Are you gonna be with us this week or are you gonna go cavorting of to another country? Maybe Japan next time, or England, how about Iraq, that sounds like fun.'

'What the hell happened to you?' Kirsten said angrily. 'You used to be such a good kid, now you just do what you damn well like.'

'Oh just give it a rest will you,' he snapped angrily. 'Punish me all you like, I don't care. I don't care about anything anymore, I'm going to bed.' With that he turned and walked off in the direction of the stairs, barging into Ryan on the way and not even saying sorry.

'I'd leave it for a while to punish him,' Ryan said as he came into the kitchen, 'he's in a really bad way right now.'

'Why what happened?' Kirsten said concernedly, all her anger instantly forgotten.

'He and Summer are over.' Kirsten's eyes went wide as she clapped her hand over her mouth. Sandy looked shocked too.

'Why?' she finally asked in an upset tone. She loved Summer like a daughter and she knew how much the two teens loved each other, she could see it clear as day, everyone that knew them could.

'It's not my place to say. One of you should go talk to him though. Although he'd never admit it, I can tell he really needs you guys to be there for him right now.' The two adults looked at each other worriedly.

'I'll go,' Kirsten finally. Sandy nodded so she made for the stairs. When she got to his door she knocked lightly. 'Seth? Seth sweetie, I'm coming in.' Without waiting for a response, Kirsten walked in and was shocked at what she saw. Seth was curled up on his bed with tears pouring down his face. It shocked her because he'd always been quite emotionally strong, she hadn't seen him cry since he was like nine. 'Oh sweetie,' she said softly as she ran over and gripped him in a tight embrace, feeling herself tear up at the sight of her son looking so pitiful.

'What am I gonna do mom?' he sobbed. 'I screwed up really bad and I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. I can't lose her, I love her.'

'I know honey I know. But don't worry, she loves you too and I'm sure whatever you've done wont be enough to stop her loving you. You didn't cheat on her did you?'

'Physically no, emotionally yes. I've been hanging out with this girl that she really doesn't like and she found out about it.' Kirsten closed her eyes as she stroked her fingers through her son's hair who had his head in her lap.

'Seth honey, why would you do such a silly thing?'

'Because I really hurt this girl's feelings and I couldn't stand the fact that she hated me, that she thought I was an asshole. So I hung out with her a few times to show her I wasn't. I figured that it couldn't do much harm, that what Summer didn't know couldn't hurt her, well she found out and it really hurt her.'

'But you never actually cheated on her?'

'NO! I couldn't, she means everything to me.'

'Well just go and explain the situation to her, that's all you can do.'

'Yeah I guess. I don't even know if she's home though. She took the car and disappeared, I had to fly home.'

'Well come on,' Kirsten replied, getting up and pulling him up, 'I'll give you a lift over there.'

'Thanks mom,' Seth said, wiping the tears from his eyes, 'you know I love you right?'

'I know sweetie, and I love you too,' she replied with a smile, 'but don't think saying that is gonna get you outta trouble for your little surprise trip to Mexico.'

'Oh well, it was worth a shot.'

Fifteen minutes later, Kirsten pulled into the Roberts driveway and both she and Seth exhaled a huge sighs of relief at the sight of their black range rover sat there.

'At least she's home and safe,' Kirsten said reassuringly, 'now the rest is up to you. I know parents are supposed to tell their kids that despite what they may think, they are not genuinely in love with their high school sweetheart. I'm not gonna say that to you though because it's quite obvious that what you feel for her is the real thing, and I can tell that she reciprocates the feeling just as strongly. Go get her honey, if you're meant to be together which I think you really are, it'll all work out.'

Yeah, thanks mom. I'll bring the car back. Okay bye.' He hopped out the car and retrieved the huge bouquet of flowers and massive box of chocolates he bought from the back seat. With an apprehensive sigh, Seth walked up the steps towards the huge house, ready to try and win back the heart and trust of his one and only love.

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'What the hell are you doing here geek? You bought me gifts? Aww that's cute but it's a wasted effort seeing as I'm not queer.'

Seth couldn't speak. He was staring at the six foot three frame of Tyrone Davenport, leader of the jocks, with no shirt on. Tall, dark and handsome, he was every Harbor girls dream, he was also the biggest asshole on the planet as far as Seth was concerned. Whenever he'd been harassed at school, Tyrone was usually bang in the middle of all the trouble. He was one of the main reasons Seth had hated his life before Summer came along and even worse, he'd told her this plenty of times.

'I-I-is umm, is S-Summer there?' he finally managed to choke out while trying to hold in his tears. How could she do it to him? He thought he'd meant something to her but apparently not, considering she was moving on without even giving him the chance to win her back.

'So the cute little presents are for my girlfriend huh? Stay away from her faggot,' he said threateningly, moving forward to give Seth a rough shove, 'I don't want you harassing her and she sure as hell doesn't want your shitty flowers,' he added, snatching the bunch from him, throwing them on the floor and stamping on them.

'Who is it babe,' Seth heard Summer shout from somewhere in the house before he saw her appear in the foyer with nothing but her "new boyfriend's" shirt on. Seth had to look away it hurt so badly. Just looking at her standing there, seemingly completely over him already, made a pain so strong shoot through his heart that it felt like he'd been stabbed in it a million times. 'Ew, what do you want geek?' she added with a look of disgust.

'Oh geek boy came by with a little present I asked him to pick up for you, from me of course. Here you go,' he said sweetly, snatching the box of chocolates from Seth's hands and handing them to Summer.

'Awww, a box of chocolates, thank you gorgeous,' she said to him, pulling him down for a passionate kiss accompanied by a lot of tongue and small moans on her part. Seth couldn't stand it. Just watching it felt like needles being shoved in his eyes. He wanted to burst into tears, turn around and run away from Newport and his once again shitty life as far as he possibly could. He couldn't do it though, he'd come for a reason and wasn't going down without a fight.

'Thanks nerd,' Tyrone said as he turned to face him after they'd pulled apart, 'your work here is done, you can go read comics now,' he added as he went to close the door.

'Actually,' Seth cut in with a croaky voice as he put his hand on the door to stop it closing, 'can I talk to you for a second,' he said desperately to Summer.

'I already told you to leave her alone geek,' Tyrone replied angrily, raising his fist ready to hit Seth.

'Baby it's okay,' Summer quickly cut in, putting a hand on his raised arm before he had the chance to use it, 'I'll be two minutes. Go wait for me upstairs and I'll be up soon to reward you for getting me a present,' she added with a cheeky grin.

'Oooh, sounds like a plan,' he replied before leaning down and capturing her in another heavy makeout session. When it didn't look like they were gonna stop anytime soon, Seth gave a weak cough to let them know he was still there. They parted and both glared at him before Tyrone disappeared upstairs. Seth and Summer stood in silence for a few seconds.

'So that's your new boyfriend huh?' He finally said quietly.

'Yep,' she replied shortly. 'If you came for the car Cohen, here are the keys,' she added, picking them up of a nearby set of drawers and throwing them to him.

'Why are you doing this?' he whimpered miserably, the first tears beginning to roll down his cheeks.

'Doing what?' Summer replied innocently with an obvious fake smile, 'hanging out with my super hot boyfriend, having fun. As far as I'm aware that's not a crime.'

'What about us, did I not mean anything to you? Are you not even gonna give me a chance to tell you what actually happened?'

Oh no need Seth, I already know what happened, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out,' she replied bitterly. 'I gave you lots of sex, but somewhere along the line it became not enough. So you went out and got yourself a little skank on the side to help satisfy your needs that I couldn't. It's cool, I'm over it, just go back to your little slut and fuck her all you like, I don't care anymore.'

'Summer it's not like that,' Seth cried desperately, 'I never cheated on you. Please give me another chance, I can't live without you.'

'Go away Seth,' she spat, 'I don't want you anymore. In fact, I don't think I ever really wanted you, I just went through a crazy four months where my mind tricked me into thinking I did. But like I said, I'm over it, I'm over you. I'm back to being who I really am, the party girl who fucks the hottest guy in school. Things got boring with you anyway.'

'No you don't mean that,' Seth said angrily, 'I know you don't. We were happy, happier than we'd ever been and it sure as hell wasn't boring. Just tell me what I need to do to get a second chance Summer. Do you want me to get down on my hands and knees and beg because I will.'

'Yeah go on then,' Summer replied with an amused smirk. Seth looked at her blankly for a few seconds before collapsing on his knees in front of her and clasped his hands together as if praying.

'Look at me Summer, is this what you wanted?' he mumbled, tears pouring down his face. 'I'm down on my hands and knees, crying my eyes out, begging you to at least give me a chance to explain myself.' Summer just stared at him for a few seconds before bursting in cold, harsh laughter.

'Ha, you really are a pathetic asshole you know that,' she said coldly. 'You think that just because you can put on a pretty convincing act of being genuinely sorry, that I'm gonna take you back only for you to do it to me all over again. Well let me tell you what's gonna happen. You're gonna turn round, crawl away like the dog you are and go back to your bitch Casey. Now go on, get off my property and get out of my life.' With one final icy glare at him, Summer slammed the door in his face, leaving him still in tears and on his knees, alone.

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Seth spent a further five minutes on his knees, struggling to process what had just happened. He'd begged he'd cried, he'd done everything he could but she'd still thrown it all back in his face so now it was official, they really were done. She'd taken all of a day to move on and even worse, she'd done it with the world's biggest douchebag.

It hadn't sunk in before that they might be finished for good, but after this it definitely had. It was weird too because as he got up and walked towards the range rover, his main emotions weren't despair and heartbreak as he would've expected, they were rage and contempt.

He was so angry that she'd just forgotten about him, that she'd fucked like his worst enemy probably before he'd even gotten back in the country. He started up his car, clenching his jaw, nostrils flaring in rage and gripping the steering wheel with such ferocity that his knuckles were white, before pulling out the driveway and speeding off.

Seth didn't know where he was going, both at that moment and in his life in general. All he knew was that he was going there without Summer and he was so pissed off at her, he really didn't care anymore. If she wanted to forget about him and screw future frat boys then fine, he'd just have to forget about her too.

Saying he was gonna do it was the easy part, actually doing it was a whole different thing. He loved her more than life itself and he probably always would. But while he could never find someone he had just as strong feelings for, he sure as hell could find someone just as hot to fuck. Who knows, maybe if he got with another girl it'd make her jealous and she'd come crawling back to him. Even if she did that though, Seth didn't know if he'd take her back, he was too pissed off at her at the moment to know whether or not he wanted her back.

As Seth drove down the freeway, heading nowhere in particular, an idea popped into his head. He knew most of his harebrained schemes were stupid and almost always resulted in someone he cared about getting hurt. But that was okay because this time, he actually wanted to hurt someone he loved.

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Summer walked into her room to find Tyrone lying on her bed completely naked. The sight disgusted her and she had to look away. Yes he had firm abs, bulging muscles and a decent sized weapon but he just couldn't compare to Seth in her eyes. She'd loved everything about his appearance from his sweet and skinny build to his curly locks to his innocent wide eyes.

'So, about that reward you promised me for the present,' he said with a crazed look in his eyes.

'Actually I umm, I want you to leave,' Summer replied coldly, not looking at him.

'What, why? Did Cohen say something to you because if he did, I'll snap his scrawny fucking ass in two?'

'NO OKAY, JUST GO! GET THE FUCK OUT,' she screamed, feeling herself tearing up.

'Whoa okay, chill bitch I'm going,' he replied angrily, 'can I have my shirt then.' Summer pulled off his shirt and immediately covered her private areas with her hands. If Seth couldn't see her naked, she didn't want anybody else to. As they both got dressed, Summer could hear him mumbling things such as "stupid slut" and "crazy bitch". She didn't care though. She didn't give a fuck about him, he was just a random dick she was using to get revenge on Seth.

'Look I'm sorry okay, I'm just not feeling well,' she lied, 'but you'll call me later right?' Tyrone just nodded as he tied his shoelaces. When he'd done he walked over to her and roughly pulled her into him. She leant up and gave him a gentle peck on the lips. It apparently wasn't enough for him though as he forced his tongue between her lips and shoved it deep down her throat, Summer thought it was horrible and it made her want to vomit. Seth always looked fully satisfied and happy even when she gave him the lightest of pecks but this asshole, this asshole apparently just couldn't do gentle and caring.

When he pulled away and just walked out without a word or a second glance backwards, Summer felt violated. Whenever she kissed Seth, she always came away feeling warm, happy and buzzing all over, but when she kissed him, she felt sick to her stomach and used afterwards.

Summer pulled off the clothes she'd only just put on and ran into the bathroom. She turned the shower water on full blast and hopped in. The water was scalding hot and turning her skin red raw but she didn't care. She felt dirty, cheap, disgusted with herself, and figured the best way to get rid of it was to cover it with physical pain.

Summer thought back over the last two days. She knew she should've given him a chance to explain but she just couldn't. She felt betrayed, deceived and heartbroken. Yes she still loved him more she ever thought possible and she probably always would, but how could she ever forgive him after what he'd done. With images swimming through her mind of his pitiful, tearstained face as he knelt in front of her on her doorstep a few minutes ago, Summer slid down the shower wall, buried her face in her knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

After ten minutes, she regained her composure and slipped out the shower, her skin now red raw from the scalding water. She dried herself off and tied her hair in a messy bun as silent tears continued to stream down her face. She'd stopped the sobbing but she couldn't stop the tears. She trudged into her room and put on a pair of silk pyjamas. She didn't care that it was only midday, she was past the point of caring about anything anymore.

She crashed onto her bed and picked up a picture of her and Seth out her nightstand drawer. It was a candid one that Ryan had taken of them with the stupid camera that Marissa had gotten him for Christmas. They hadn't even known he'd taken it at the time. They were sat on Ryan's bed in the poolhouse, Seth with a playstation controller in his hand and a big goofy grin on his face while she had her arms wrapped round him from behind, whispering something in his ear with a huge smile of her own. Summer loved the picture because it perfectly showed the way they were together, completely happy, the happiest they would ever be.

With the picture pushed tightly against her chest and the tears still flowing down her face, Summer drifted off into a restless sleep, a sleep filled with images of the boy who'd won her heart, then stamped on it.

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**A/N – Because it worked so well last time, I'm gonna use the blackmail technique again. I'm not gonna start writing the next chapter until I get ten reviews for this one so if you wanna carry on reading, you know what you gotta do. HIT THAT BUTTON BELOW!! Thanks.**


	27. Running

**A/N – You guys are AWESOME. Another twenty reviews. This blackmailing thing is really working out for me huh? Anyways, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy and keep those reviews coming.**

**WARNING – Some sexual content in this one so be warned.**

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Seth was sat on his bed waiting for his girlfriend to show up so they could go to another one of Holly's beach house parties. He was plugged into his ipod, listening to Deathcab, and had a lazy grin on his face. This was his favourite time of day. He'd just had a huge dinner and he was in that state where he was all relaxed and sleepy, and all he wanted to do was lay on his bed forever.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he felt a sharp jab on his leg. He jumped and snapped open his eyes, only to see his girlfriend grinning at him. 'Hey,' he said brightly with his own grin when he'd pulled out his earphones.

'Hey, you ready to go?'

'No not really, you know I hate these things,' he whined as he pulled her down on the bed and laid on his side to face her.

'I know but I'm popular so I have to go. I promise you I'll make it up to you tonight,' she replied with a suggestive grin. Seth smirked as wild thoughts started running through his mind.

'And how would you do that?'

'Well you'll just have to come to the party to find out won't you?' she countered teasingly.

'Fine I'll go,' he replied with a roll of his eyes and a defeated sigh, but he still had a smirk on his face. 'Only if I get to decide what my reward will be though.'

'Sounds fair. Let me guess, an all night round of Jenga,' she said with a playful shove.

'Oh I was thinking an all night round of something but it's definitely not Jenga. I was thinking more along the lines of an all night round of this.' He pushed his face forward and passionately kissed her. Their tongues lustfully tangled until they couldn't hold out any longer and needed to resurface for air. 'I was thinking a night of that and maybe even more, how does that sound?' he panted through heavy breathing when they parted.

'Seems like I'm the one that'll be getting the reward,' she replied with a flustered grin, resting her forehead on his.

'Well you know me, I do love to please you.'

'Yeah, thanks baby, you're an awesome boyfriend. I'm so glad I've got you and I'm so sorry I didn't trust you at first.'

'It's okay, I'm sorry I ever let her come between us. I hope you know that all I ever wanted was to be with you, I just messed up.'

'I know. Forget about her, she's not important anymore. I promise you that nothing is ever gonna come between us again, especially that bitch.'

'I'll drink to that, or smoke, or whatever we're gonna be doing at this party. Come on then,' he added, sliding off the bed and pulling her up, 'let's get this over with.'

They arrived at the party fifteen minutes later, to find it already in full swing. They walked in and were instantly met by a loud squeal.

'Hey bitch,' Holly said happily as she pottered over to them. 'So glad you came. Oh and you bought your, ugh, what is he again,' she added. Seth just rolled his eyes.

'Nice to see you too Holly,' he said unenthusiastically with a fake smile.

'Whatever. Just stay away from me and we won't have a problem geek.'

'Fine by me,' he muttered before stalking off towards the drinks table. He was pouring himself a beer and fixing a vodka and red bull for his girlfriend when he looked up and spotted her. She was laughing and joking with a large group of jocks in the corner, cup in one hand and the other wrapped round that dickhead's waist, tucked tightly in his jeans pocket. He felt the familiar twinge of anger, jealousy and heartbreak he always did when he saw them, but then he remembered. She'd moved on and so had he, at least that's what he told himself, it made it easier to handle the pain. He was snapped out his thoughts when he felt a familiar pair of arms snake round his waist from behind.

'Hey, is that a drink for me?'

'Sure is,' he said as he turned round and fixed her with a fake smile, 'here you go gorgeous.'

'Thank you Sethy, you're awesome.'

'You're welcome Casey, you're awesome too. You wanna dance?'

'I thought you'd never ask.'

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_FLASHBACK_

_He didn't know why he was here. He knew I was wrong. But he couldn't stand the thought of walking into school all alone while she walked in hanging on the arm of that mindless asshole. He wanted her to think that he wasn't gonna pine over her, that he could move on just as easily as she could, that two could play at her slutty little game._

_He raised his fist and rapped on the door. He'd been here a few times to drop her off after they'd hung out. It was a nice house and it was a lot closer to his than Summer's so that was another bonus to this little scheme of his. Sex with a hot girl was now only a two minute drive away instead of a ten minute one._

_She opened the door and looked at him with surprise. 'Seth wh-' he cut her off by moving forward and crashing his lips against hers. She looked shocked but that didn't stop her from moaning into his mouth and cupping his face in her hands. "WOW, he is a __**really**__ good kisser" she thought to herself, "that Roberts skank definitely taught him good"._

'_Uhh, umm, what was that?' she asked in a flustered yet delighted voice when they parted. He responded by grabbing her, pinning her against the wall and trailing kisses down her neck, causing her to give tiny purrs of appreciation._

'_I want you,' he mumbled in between kisses, 'you are so fucking hot I want you right now on this floor.'_

'_Wh-wh-what about Summer?' she panted, struggling to focus on anything other than the small kisses and soft bites he was trailing down her chest, getting closer to her breasts by the second._

'_Fuck Summer. I've let her boss me around for too long. I want this, I want you.' She smirked triumphantly. She knew that if she continued with her plan that she'd succeed eventually, and it seemed she had done it in some style._

'_Well if you want me then I guess the only thing left for you to do is take me,' she said with a challenging grin, thinking he didn't have the nerve and he'd back out. He surprised her by ripping her top over her head in one smooth motion, before grabbing her hips and forcefully pulling her into him, grinding his crotch against hers. She slipped a hand between their close bodies and grasped him in her hand. Her eyes widened, from what she could feel he had quite a sizeable package._

_She kissed him passionately as she pushed him towards her couch. He surprised her yet again by forcefully shoving her down on it and climbing on top of her, licking and kissing the valley in between her bra-clad breasts. She'd never seen this side of him before, a strong and controlling side. She was amazed that he had a passionate and lustful side but she definitely wasn't complaining, she liked it._

_As he stood up and lifted off his shirt, exposing his scrawny chest that she found quite attractive for some unknown reason, a thought hit her. 'STOP!' she shouted as he began to wriggle out his pants, causing him to look up at her quizzically. 'I-I don't trust you.'_

'_Umm, what?'_

'_I've wanted this for months and every time I've suggested anything like it you've always said no. So why now? What's changed that's made you want this?'_

'_Believe it or not, I've always wanted this,' he lied, 'I've always let Summer stand in the way of me getting what I want though. Well no more. I told her I wanted to be with you and she got really upset and said I had to choose, you or her. Well I chose you.'_

'_And how did she take it,' she asked with a gleeful smirk._

'_She got really pissed off and upset but honestly, I didn't give two shits how she felt. I'm officially finished with having anything to do with Summer Roberts. Now do you trust me?' She replied by jumping up and crashing her lips against his again. When they parted, she slowly and teasingly undid his belt and slipped off his pants, leaving him in just his boxers. She admired his huge bulge before he knelt down and slowly took off her jeans, leaving her in nothing but her light blue bra and matching lace boy shorts._

_She pulled him back up to her level by his hair and connected lips with him again. He cupped her ass and she lifted her legs and wrapped them round his waist. He pinned her against the wall again and supported both their weight with one hand as the other snaked round her back, which she arched away from the wall, to her bra clip._

_He undid her bra and she slipped it off, exposing her shapely breasts. He ran his tongue round a nipple before taking it fully in his mouth. He felt it harden rapidly as he sucked and gave the occasional bite. She moaned her appreciation loudly. He did the same to the other one and after he felt they'd both got adequate attention, he stumbled backwards with her legs still around his waist and his tongue lustfully colliding with hers, onto the couch._

_She straddled him as she kissed him, then began bucking up and down on him as if giving a preview of what was to come. He liked what he saw. She began trailing kisses down his chest until she got to his midriff. She then freed his manhood from his boxers and gasped at what she saw. Never, not in a million years had she expected Seth "geekboy" Cohen to be one of the biggest she'd ever seen, and she'd seen plenty. She didn't care she was a slut and that people knew she'd fucked half the school. So what if she liked lots of sex, that wasn't a crime, it was just considered wrong when she was only seventeen and in high school._

_He grinned at her astounded look. 'You like what you see,' he asked seductively. She just blushed and nodded. He pulled her up and kissed her again and as he did, he flipped her over so she was under him. He pushed his boxers down his legs and kicked them off before licking his way down her body. He reached her ankles and slowly pulled off her panties, leaving her fully exposed like him._

_He marvelled at the sight of her. She was certainly beautiful but she just couldn't compare to Summer in his eyes. She had a small butterfly tattoo just below her belly button and he thought it was sexy as fuck. He moved back up and kissed her deeply again. It was hot, urgent and filled with desire._

_When they pulled apart, he reached for his jeans which were nearby on the floor and pulled his wallet out the pocket. He took a condom out of it. She took it from him and ripped the packaging open with her teeth. With a horny glint in her eye and a firm hand, she grabbed his weapon and sheathed the condom on it. She pulled him down, wrapped her arms round his neck and thrust her tongue in his mouth again. 'Seth Cohen,' she panted when they parted, 'I want you to fuck my brains out.'_

'_You got it,' he replied with a grin. He positioned himself, ready to push into her. When he went to do it though, he just couldn't. He had his eyes closed and all he could see were images of Summer making her puppy dog look, as if begging him not to do it. He knew she was probably fucking her asshole jock of a new boyfriend right at that very moment but even so, he'd only ever been with her and truthfully, he only ever wanted to be with her. 'I'm sorry,' he said with a sigh as he moved off her and pulled off the condom, 'I can't do this.'_

'_WHAT,' she shrieked, 'you can't just come round here and get me this horny only to back out at the last second,' she added angrily._

'_Look I'm sorry okay, but this just isn't me. I don't do things like this. I want to be with you but I'm uhh, I'm a virgin,' he lied, 'and I want my first time to be special, not just an impulse that might turn out to be a mistake.' She sighed, she didn't believe for a second that he was a virgin but she didn't want to risk losing him by accusing him of lying. She wanted to walk into school with him on Wednesday and broadcast the fact that she was with him to everybody, especially Summer "bitchface" Roberts. So what if they'd fallen out. She wasn't stupid enough to think that it wouldn't bother Summer that he was now with her, she knew it would still hurt her like hell._

'_Fine,' she said huffily,' where does this leave us though?'_

'_Together of course,' he replied with a smile, 'and just because I'm not ready to have sex with you yet, it doesn't mean I can't do other stuff,' he added suggestively. He gave her a fiery kiss on the lips before kissing down her body and stopping at her hips. He looked up at her with raised eyebrows and she nodded. Without further warning, he brought his mouth down on her area that ached to be satisfied._

_She gasped as she felt him rhythmically lapping up and down and forcefully rolling his tongue over her most sensitive area. When he roughly pushed into her with two fingers, she couldn't help the whimpers that began to escape her lips. He thought she sounded good, but her small whimpers and purrs didn't turn him on half as much as Summer's load moans and gasps used to._

_She couldn't believe how good it was. She'd had it done to her hundreds of times before but never had it been so mind-blowingly amazing. "No fucking way is he a virgin, he's definitely done this before. I gotta hand it to Roberts, she sure knows how to pick em" she thought to herself._

_After a few minutes, she felt herself closing in. As she whimpered in ecstasy, she began to buck her hips upwards, sending his tongue and fingers deeper into her and taking her to new levels of bliss. Then with one final roll of his tongue and push of his fingers, she exploded in quite possibly the most intense orgasm she'd ever had. Her face was bright red, she was gasping for air and she was shuddering violently._

_He licked up every last drop of her release before looking up at her with a grin. She was sweating and panting heavily, and still whimpering quietly due to the aftershocks of euphoria flowing through her. 'HOLY SHIT,' she moaned before pulling him up by his hair to give him a fiery kiss. 'Your turn,' she said with a flustered grin before inching down to his midriff._

_She whirled her tongue round the tip first before taking him fully in, slowly moving up and down and occasionally giving a soft bite. He moaned, Summer had done it to him plenty of times before but she definitely wasn't as good as his new girlfriend. But that was to be expected if what he'd heard about her was true._

_He'd heard about how she was quite the little slut, how she'd fucked nearly all the jocks at Harbor. There'd even been a rumour that she'd gone into the boys changing room after an afterschool water polo practise once and fucked three of them in the shower. He didn't care though, not when she was twisting her tongue in some crazy ways that were driving him insane._

_When he felt himself approaching, he gave a tug on her hair. 'OH GOD, I'M GONNA COME,' he groaned, letting her know because he remembered how Summer wasn't the swallowing type. It seemed that she wasn't bothered though because she only worked him harder. He finally exploded into her mouth and shuddered in complete ecstasy. She wasn't fazed and swallowed every last drop he had to offer. "God she really is a slut" he thought as she wiped her mouth and fixed him with a grin._

'_You like that?' she asked with a smirk._

'_Hell yeah,' he panted breathlessly in reply, still coming down from his state of euphoria. He began to get dressed. 'I gotta go, but I'm glad we're together now. I'll call you later okay.' She smiled and nodded as she got off the couch, still completely naked. She wrapped her arms round his waist and leant up to give him a passionate kiss. With one final kiss and grin, he opened her front door and disappeared._

_When he'd gone, she found her jeans and took her cell out the pocket. She dialled a contact._

'_Hello.'_

'_I'm in,' she said with a smirk, 'Cohen just came over and did some pretty dirty stuff to me.'_

'_Excellent. Now all there's left to do is go to school and laugh at her misery.'_

'_I know, I can't wait. See ya later.'_

'_Bye.'_

_As soon as he got out the house, he put his head back on the doorframe and exhaled a deep breath. He closed his eyes but it didn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. "What the hell have I done" he thought to himself. Although he hadn't gone the whole way and although he knew the girl he loved was probably engrossed in a marathon sex session of her own with that dumb meathead right at that very moment, he couldn't help but feel that now she was totally right, he was nothing but a cheating scumbag._

_END FLASHBACK_

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It had been six weeks since Seth had pulled out of Summer's driveway in tears and headed straight to Casey's house and surprisingly, he didn't regret it in the slightest. He wasn't moving on and was still head over heels in love with her, but he was having fun with his new girlfriend and it was definitely succeeding in numbing the pain.

It wasn't like he didn't want to be with Summer anymore, he knew that if he ever got a second chance he'd leave Casey in the blink of an eye. But as long as Summer showed no sign of coming out of her slutty little phase and giving him a chance to talk to her, he'd continue to have fun with Casey and try to forget about her.

They had still not gone the whole way. Casey kept badgering him but he just said he still wasn't ready. Considering she was smoking hot, Seth would've had no problem fucking her brains out were he not totally in love with someone else. But until he was totally certain that he was never ever gonna get another shot with Summer, he'd continue to do everything except go the whole way with her.

Seth thought she was cool but there was no way he could ever love her. He wasn't even sure if he liked her as a girlfriend. She was a good friend when he was just hanging out with her but now he was romantically involved, he couldn't help but notice her faults and compare every little thing she did to what Summer did. Apart from the odd thing, like blowjobs, he always preferred Summer to her.

For example, her laugh. She had a high pitched shriek of a laugh that if he heard too much, started to annoy him. Summer though, had a little giggle that used to light up his life when he heard it, it was heavenly music to his ears. Her smile was another thing too. Casey had the most perfect set of pearly white teeth he'd ever seen, but her smile just couldn't compare to the way that Summer's smile lit up her whole face and made her gorgeous brown eyes sparkle.

Every little fault he noticed with Casey made him want the love of his life back more. He knew that if they never got back together, he'd be destined for a life of being picky with women and never getting beyond a first date, all because they just couldn't compare to Summer freaking Roberts in his eyes. While she'd made his life perfect for four short months, now they were broken up, she'd ruined it and made him unable to appreciate the female species anymore.

Sure there were some perks to his life without Summer. He was no longer a slave to anybody but even that wasn't really a perk, because secretly he'd loved it when she bossed him around and he'd loved obeying her every command. But there was the fact that his grades had gone up in the classes Summer was in with him as they wouldn't spend the entire time passing little love notes back and forth like they used to. She'd sit as far away from him as possible and he'd bury himself in his work to prevent spending the whole lesson staring longingly at her.

There was also the fact that he seemed to be getting in a lot less trouble with his parents. When he was with Summer, he'd get a rollicking every other day for spending the night with her without permission but now, now he had no one to spend the night with so he never got in trouble. He refused to spend the night at Casey's because he didn't want to move too fast. He didn't want to move too fast because he was desperately clinging to the hope that he might get back with Summer and if that happened, he didn't want Casey to be too emotionally attached to him.

It was a weird irony because while he was just using her, he didn't want her feelings to get hurt. But irony was a Seth Cohen trademark, hence The Ironist. He felt a little bad for acting like she meant something to him when actually she meant nothing, well at least not compared to Summer. But if that was what it took to make Summer realize that she'd made a massive mistake when she'd slammed the door in his face nearly two months ago, then he'd do it.

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Casey stood with a drink in hand and a small smile on her face. She was stood watching her boyfriend talking to another geek who she had no interest in listening to. She loved to just stand and watch him, the way he talked, the way he moved his hands animatedly as he did so, the way he laughed.

It had all started when she first began hanging out with him, when she first started getting to know him. She had begun to think that he wasn't that bad, maybe a bit of a dork but she could overlook that. He was sweet, he was funny and she'd always thought he was cute in his own unique way.

Plus there was the fact that ever since he'd appeared at her house and made her climax harder than any of the countless jocks she'd fucked ever had, she started to think that maybe there were more benefits to her little plan that just making Summer Roberts miserable.

It'd started out as just that and that only, making her worst enemy unhappy, he used to make her want to vomit he was such a loser. But the more she got to know him, the more she found herself wanting to be with him just for the sake of being with him, not making another girl jealous. It had gotten to the point where she could almost sympathize with Summer for being so miserable without him, and although she looked happy, Casey could tell she really was miserable.

Casey could also tell that he wasn't really happy with her, that every time he went to kiss her or do sexual things to her, he'd close his eyes and picture it was someone else he was doing it to. At first it hadn't bothered her because she would do exactly the same. When she'd touch or kiss him she'd imagine she was doing it to a gorgeous Mediterranean stud with rippling muscles. But the more she did it, the more she found herself thinking about doing it with him. Now she was at the point where it upset her that she wanted to kiss him but he still wanted her to be somebody else, to be the girl she despised more than anyone.

Yes, as much as she hated to admit it, at some point during her plan to just use him to make Summer miserable, she'd actually fallen for his geeky charm. And even worse was the fact that, while she actually wanted to be with him now, he'd probably never feel the same towards her.

'Why are you still with him?' Casey was snapped out of her Seth Cohen filled trance when she heard a voice behind her.

'What?' she said as she turned round to see Holly smirking at her.

'I said why are you still with him. Roberts seems perfectly happy without him so he's no real use to you anymore. The only other explanation is that you actually like him.'

'Trust me, Roberts may seem happy but it's all fake. I sometimes catch her staring at him and she looks far from happy then. It's obvious that he's the one she really wants and the fact that I've got him is killing her inside.'

'Yeah,' Holly replied with a sweet smile, 'it's a shame that she's the one he wants too, not you. If you like him then you really are pathetic because he's never gonna like you back. In fact, I'm willing to bet that they've fallen out or broken up or whatever and knowing that she hates you, he's just using you to get back at her.'

'No way. I don't get used, I'm the user,' Casey replied strongly, more to convince herself than Holly, though it didn't really work. She knew it was a real possibility that the user had become the used, and she was now just a pawn in Seth's little game in which the objective was to hurt Summer.

'Whatever, just remember this. If you do like him, you're the one that's gonna come out of this worst. Judging from the way they steal glances at each other, they still care about each other a hell of a lot. They'll probably work things out, she'll beat you again only this time you'll come away with a broken heart as well as a red face.'

'Just leave me alone,' Casey mumbled, feeling tears prickle the corner of her eyes due to the fact that she knew Holly was totally right. She was falling hard and fast for Seth Cohen, while he wasn't falling for her at all. Whether she was with him or not, all of her thoughts had begun to involve him, whereas his thoughts were obviously still all about another petite brunette.

Casey wanted to be with Seth but he didn't really want to be with her. She was in serious trouble, and she knew it too.

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Seth stumbled into the bathroom and found himself staring into the breathtaking face of the girl he hadn't uttered a single word to in six long weeks.

'Hey geek,' Summer said brightly, a slight slur in her words. He'd been sneaking glances at her all night and knew she'd had a fair bit to drink. He also thought he'd seen her smoking a couple of joints, something she'd stopped doing on a regular basis like two years ago. 'How's the slut tonight,' she added bitterly, a look in her eye that involved a large mixture of anger, jealousy and hatred.

'I don't know, how are you tonight Summer?' he countered with a smirk. He would normally never have said something so spiteful to anyone, let alone her, but he was a little wasted himself and was up for an argument. He figured that it was a good thing they were finally talking, even if it was only to trade insults.

'OH MY GOD, YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME A SLUT,' she shrieked as her eyes widened.

'Uhh, no I didn't,' he replied coolly, 'you didn't hear me say "you're a slut Summer" did you.'

'No but you implied it,' she answered with a glare.

'So what if I did. What're you gonna do, get Tyrone to beat me up,' he said bitterly, 'because that'll be a whole new and original experience,' he added sarcastically.

'I can't believe I ever wasted four months of my life with a loser like you. I mean I could do so much better, Ty is like fifty times hotter than you. Plus he's a better fuck than you could ever be,' she added with a sweet smile, knowing that one would hit a nerve. It was a complete lie but he didn't have to know that. She'd never had sex with Tyrone due to the fact that she found him repulsive. They'd done everything else and they'd all been highly unenjoyable experiences, but she'd always refused to go the full way, something that pissed him off greatly.

'Well Casey's so much better in bed than you ever were,' he replied casually, trying with all his might to hide the pain that her words had caused him. 'Plus she's way hotter too.'

'Well good for you. You're both little bitches so you're perfect for each other,' Summer replied angrily, struggling to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall at the fact that he'd admitted he'd had sex with Casey. That was bullshit too, but he genuinely thought she'd fucked Tyrone so why shouldn't he let her think he'd fucked Casey.

'Yeah and it's good you've found your soulmate, someone who's just as dumb and shallow as you,' he said through gritted teeth.

'Whatever,' Summer mumbled, looking away to stop him from seeing that her eyes were welling up, 'I'm leaving, get outta my way dork.'

'No, you stay and do what you were in here to do. Knowing the new you, it was probably snort coke off the sink counter or have sex with Tyrone in the shower,' he replied bitterly. 'Anyways, have fun and I'll see ya around I guess.' With that, he stormed out the bathroom, leaving Summer in there with tears threatening to stream down her face.

After five minutes she left the bathroom. She had managed to hold in her tears, but they seriously threatened to fall again when the first thing she saw when she walked out the bathroom was Casey dragging Seth into a bedroom. She bit her lower lip hard to hold in the sobs but she knew she wasn't gonna last. She had to get out of there before she broke down in front everybody.

Knowing that he was in there doing nasty things with that slut made Summer want revenge. She thought about grabbing Tyrone and actually fucking his brains out in the next bedroom along, moaning loudly for Seth and everyone else to hear. But just the thought of actually fully giving herself up to that dumb prick made her want to hurl.

Instead she just ran out of the house and decided never to look back. Only when she got a couple of hundred meters away did she let the tears begin to fall and the sobs to break out, but still she didn't stop running. She ran and ran and ran, as she cried and cried and cried.

It was one in the morning and the whole town was deserted. She ran through residential areas, through business areas, through shopping streets. She ran until the pain in her side became unbearable, until the shoes on her feet which were totally inappropriate for running made blisters begin to form on her heels, until sweat began to run down her forehead and mingle with her tears.

She was fairly tipsy and a little bit stoned which had resulted in her falling over several times. She had painful grazes on her hands and arms but that hadn't stopped her from getting up and carrying on running, running away from the source of all her pain and happiness over the last half a year, Seth Cohen.

She finally stopped in the park and seeing a nearby bench, she collapsed onto it and sobbed as hard as she could, hoping the emotional release would heal some of her emotional agony. She curled herself up into a little ball and with the tears still rolling down her cheeks at a colossal rate, she drifted off into a restless slumber. A sleep filled with dreams of a certain adorable, rambling geek that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop loving.

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**A/N – The majority of you guessed what Seth was gonna do to get back at Summer and really didn't want me to write it, but I've had this story planned out for a while and it's always been a part of my plan so I wasn't gonna change it. If you don't like it, deal with it! (Also leave a review telling me why you don't like it lol!)**

**I don't really like this chapter but you guys have been great with reviews, so I felt obligated to get something up as soon as possible. Anyways, same thing, I'm not gonna write the next chapter until I get ten reviews for this one so the more people that hit that button below, the faster the update will be.**


	28. Over or under

**A/N – Another fifteen plus reviews for the last chapter, thanks for that guys. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it and keep reviewing please.**

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'I don't mean to sound slutty or anything, but when are you gonna give up this taking it slow crap and fuck me?'

'Well that didn't sound slutty at all,' Seth replied sarcastically, 'and I'm sorry but I'm not ready yet. I will be soon though, I promise.'

'Good because although third base is awesome, the full thing would be a lot better. We've been dating for nearly two months now, if you don't have sex with me in the next fortnight I'm gonna start to think you're actually a closet homosexual.'

'Trust me, I'm not. I just want it to be special.'

'Seth, speaking as a person who's had _**a lot**_ of sex, the sooner you do it the sooner you'll realize that it doesn't have to be about being madly in love, it can just be about fun.'

'I know but I just want my first time to mean something.' He still maintained that he was a virgin but he could tell that she didn't really believe him. He thought the opposite way to her though. He thought that sex should be mainly about love, not just fun. Seth considered it as an expression of feelings whereas she obviously considered it more of a hobby or purely for entertainment purposes.

Casey sighed at his response and fell silent. They were sat on her bed, Seth sat up with his back against the headboard as she sat between his legs with her back pressed against him. He had his chin rested on the top of her head, and it was a good job because it prevented her from seeing the eye roll he gave or the face he pulled whenever she said something, especially something about sex.

He was really starting to get annoyed by her constantly badgering him to have sex, it was working though because he knew he was almost at breaking point. Sometimes he had the urge to rip her clothes off and fuck her senseless. Not because he wanted to, he still really really didn't, but just to get her to shut the hell up for five minutes.

Whenever he even thought about it though, images of his true love filled his brain. He already felt an overwhelming sense of guilt about doing pretty much everything else, so he knew that actually having sex with Casey was not really an option.

It had been a week since the party, a week since he'd seen her out the corner of his eye while he let Casey drag him into that bedroom. He'd gone in the room with the intention of making her moan, not by having sex with her but by other dirty means. But after he'd seen the look on Summer's face he'd lost all interest in doing anything with her, he'd just blankly stared at the ceiling and thought of Summer while she drunkenly sucked his dick.

He couldn't place Summer's look. If anything he would've said she looked upset, heartbroken even, but that couldn't be when she'd been the first one to move on and find someone else. He hated that he was letting her believe that he was screwing Casey, but he thought it was only fair as she was letting him know in no uncertain terms that she was screwing Tyrone.

'Come on then,' Seth said, deciding to start conversation in order to stop himself from thinking of Summer. It was still incredibly painful and upsetting to even think about her, to think about how he'd had it all and then lost it. 'Let's go get some food or something. How about the pier, I'll buy you an ice cream.'

'Sure,' Casey replied with a smile, getting off him and pulling him up. 'Ice cream sounds almost as good as sex right now.'

'For God's sake woman, give it a rest.'

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Summer was sat on her bed, completely engrossed in The Valley. It was getting particularly juicy because April had found out that Jack had been secretly hanging out with Mindy, the slut of the show. Summer thought it was lame, that stuff like that didn't happen in real life, but she was hooked nonetheless.

She had tried to convince Tyrone to watch it with her, but he'd said he wouldn't unless she did something for him. She knew that doing something for him basically meant sucking him off, so she'd told him to just leave. That was why she hated him, he wouldn't do anything for her unless she did something for him, usually sexual favours.

She hated doing anything sexual with him, from just kissing right the way up to third base which was the furthest they'd gone so far, simply because he was so rough and demanding. He had to be in control. When she used to do anything with Seth, he'd always let her choose the pace and intensity at which they did things. If she wanted forceful and rough, that's what he'd do whereas if she wanted gentle and caring, he wouldn't have a problem with that either. That was why she loved him so much. NO, had loved him, well that's what she kept telling herself, it made the pain slightly easier to bear.

Tyrone though, had only one mindset. The way he liked things basically screamed "suck my cock hard bitch and don't come up for air until I've come in your mouth." Summer hated it with a passion. When she'd give him blowjobs, he'd grab her hair roughly, to the point where it hurt, and pound into her mouth with all his strength. He wouldn't let her come up for air and she'd often find herself choking and tearing up at the lack of oxygen.

He wouldn't let her up until he'd shot his load right down her throat, once even pulling out at the last second and jizzing all over her face. Summer found it absolutely disgusting and several times had even been physically sick after he'd left. That was the worst thing about it. Usually after he'd got what he wanted, he'd just get up and walk out without so much as a goodbye.

Plus there was the fact that he had absolutely no idea how to satisfy her. She knew it was probably more mental than physical, and the fact that she didn't really want to have an orgasm by his fingers or tongue was the only thing preventing her from doing so. Most times he touched her she'd just lay there, bored shitless and not feeling anything, until she couldn't take it anymore and faked reaching climax. The dumb bastard wouldn't even realize she'd faked it, he'd be too busy feeling smug at himself for getting her off.

After having the most amazing sex imaginable pretty much every night for four months, not having a proper orgasm for nearly two months after that was starting to make Summer feel a little sexually frustrated. Her whole body ached for sex, not for any old sex, for sex with Seth. She knew it was her love for him being so strong that had made their sex life so perfect. She knew that no one else would be able to make her feel so good, so satisfied, so loved, so there wasn't really any point in having sex with Tyrone or anyone else but Seth for that matter.

But even so, she'd found herself having to pleasure herself more and more in recent weeks, something that a seventeen year old girl as beautiful as herself really shouldn't have to do. She knew she could get any hot guy she wanted to have sex with her, all she had to do was go out to a club and the guys would be throwing themselves at her. But she didn't want some random fuck, she wanted Cohen back, her Cohen.

Summer kept expecting him to come bursting through her door in the middle of the night, apologising for everything and telling her how much he loved her. Then he would make love to her all night and everything would turn out okay and they'd live happily ever after. But it never happened and every morning she woke up a little more heartbroken that it hadn't.

She'd realized a long time ago that she'd made a huge mistake when she'd slammed the door in his face before giving him a chance to talk to her. She couldn't dwell on it and she definitely couldn't let him see that she knew she was wrong though. Summer Roberts had always been a stubborn girl and she refused to let him win.

Not that it mattered anyway because he was still the one that'd made the original mistake that pulled them apart, and she figured that if he ever really did love her, he wouldn't have let the door being slammed in his face stop him from trying to win her back. He'd basically given up after his first failed attempt and that made Summer wonder whether he'd ever really cared about her at all.

Although she wanted to more than anything in the world, Summer refused to be the one to crawl back to him and beg for another chance. Yes she knew that if she'd given him a chance to explain, she might've found out she'd got it all wrong and they'd currently be still together and probably happier than ever. But even so, whether he'd actually slept with Casey or not, he'd still been talking to her behind her back. He knew she had a problem with trust, but she'd actually been beginning to open her heart to him. She'd been ready to tell the world she was with him, she'd been ready to tell him she was in love with him, but then she discovered he'd been betraying her trust for God knows how long and it all changed.

Yes she still loved him. Yes she still wanted to be with him, it'd take a lot of time to heal the wounds but she'd be willing to give it a shot. But Summer point blank refused to be the one to apologize for her mistakes first. She knew what she wanted, but she was far too stubborn to go for it. She couldn't sleep at night due to the fact that she knew her ever being happy again, rested completely in someone else's hands and that certain someone making the first move. Unfortunately from experience, she knew Seth could be just as stubborn as her.

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'No way!'

'Come on.'

'NO!'

'YES!'

'NO!'

'YES!'

'N-'

'Okay let's just stop now, knowing you this could go on forever.'

'Well I'm sorry but there is no way in hell you'll ever get me doing that, it's a sport and you know how much I hate them.'

'It's not really a sport, you're Cali born and bred so it's like a crime that you've never done it before.'

'Whatever. I've seen my dad come home with too many nasty injuries to try it.' They were stood on the beach and Seth was point blank refusing to even try surfing. She was right, it really was criminal that he'd lived in an oceanfront town for the majority of his life and never tried it, but he knew better than to think he'd be any good at it. It required a decent sense of balance after all.

'Se-ethhhhh,' she whined, grabbing his hand and looking at him with puppy dog eyes. While he could never resist Summer when she gave him the same look, he found Casey's to be very cute but also very resistible. She'd certainly never have the same affect on him as Summer. She bought his hand up to her face and began sucking on his index finger. 'If you do this for me, that finger will be replaced by another part of your anatomy tonight,' she said with a grin when she stopped.

Seth couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face. That was one of the things about her sluttiness he found appealing, the fact that she'd offer to do dirty things to him in exchange for basically nothing. One time at school she'd asked for his sandwich, and when he refused she'd taken him into a storage closet and jerked him off, all in exchange for two shitty slices of bread with a splodge of egg mayo in the middle. Yes she was certainly very liberal when it came to handing out sexual favours.

'Finnnnne,' Seth sighed, making sure to prolong the word to highlight his annoyment. 'The part of my anatomy you're talking about better be the one I'm thinking though,' he added with a grin.

'Oh don't you worry about that, I'm pretty sure we're on the same wavelength,' she said with a grin before snaking her hand down into his trunks and giving his manhood a little squeeze to show that they definitely were.

'Hey guys.' They turned round to see Ryan and Marissa walking towards them. Although Summer was still Marissa's best friend and she really wanted her to work things out with Seth, she didn't actually mind Casey. She'd been forced to hang out with her when Ryan had wanted to hang out with Seth and she'd been there. At first she'd been ice cold to her as she felt that she had her hands on the guy who was supposed to be with her best friend, but she had quickly warmed to her when she realized they had quite a bit in common. They'd both had bad lives and had done stuff they weren't proud of, and they both had bad reputations, Marissa as a dramatic alcoholic and Casey as the school slut.

'Hey,' Seth and Casey both replied at the same time. 'You guys wanna go in the water with us, I'm gonna teach Seth how to surf,' Casey asked.

'Nah that's okay, we'll just watch him wipe out from up here,' Marissa replied with a grin.

'Ha ha, real funny,' Seth deadpanned. 'Come on then, where's your board Case? Doesn't matter, I've found it. Hang on a minute, this surfboard seems a little thin and weak, are you sure it's safe? Oh wait a sec, it's not your surfboard, its Marissa,' he said teasingly. Casey giggled while Marissa just flipped him the finger and Ryan glared at him. He always loved to make fun of her, and her borderline anorexia was one of his longer running jokes.

They headed out to the water while Ryan and Marissa sat under their sun brolly. They began to howl with laughter when no more than two seconds after standing up on the board, which wasn't even in the water properly, he fell off face first. Everyone, even Seth, found the whole scenario highly amusing. Little did they know that they weren't the only ones watching.

Summer surveyed the scene from up on the pier with tears seriously threatening to fall for what felt like the billionth time that week, that day even. She watched as Seth laughed and flashed his adorable smile at his new skank of a girlfriend before grabbing her head and dunking her underwater. Summer felt bile rise up her throat when she saw Casey come up shrieking with laughter before doing the same to him, then pulling him up and moving in for a passionate kiss.

After the Valley had finished, she'd decided to take Chrissie for a walk seeing as she'd been neglecting her a lot lately. She'd recently been doing the bare minimum for the dog, feeding her and walking her when necessary but showing her no affection whatsoever. She couldn't help it though. Every time Summer looked at Chrissie, memories of her and Seth together, her and Seth happy together, started racing through her mind. She knew she was still crazy in love with him when she'd gotten to the point where she couldn't even look at the dog he'd bought her without wanting to burst into tears.

She'd decided to go to the beach as there was no way he'd be out there. She figured he'd be locked in his room screwing "Slutty McSlut" or in the poolhouse playing playstation with Ryan. But Summer had been wrong, he was there and even worse he seemed to be having fun without her while she spent the entire day completely miserable. It was like he was purposely trying to taunt or upset her or something because everywhere she turned he seemed to be there, making out with Casey.

Summer also noticed Ryan and Marissa on the beach, laughing and waving at their friends in the water. She still loved Marissa like a sister but she couldn't help but feel that she'd done exactly the same as Seth, betrayed her. Sure they still talked quite a lot and hung out a little, but Summer knew that she probably spent a lot more time with Casey than her.

After the break up, Summer had started to hang out with the popular crowd again, in school and out, while Marissa had stayed with Ryan who was of course loyal to Seth. Summer now had to sit with all the jocks and skanks at lunch, all the while watching on miserably as Marissa laughed and joked with her new best friend.

Summer was hit by a sudden realization, it wasn't just Seth she missed. Sure she missed him a hundred times more than anything or anyone else, but she also missed the life she'd been building with him or more specifically, the people in that life.

She felt herself tearing up at the thought of the people she loved moving on without her. The worst thing was that Seth was seemingly over her, but then there were his parents who'd probably forgotten about her, Marissa who had no time for her anymore and Ryan who hadn't so much has looked at her in two months.

Summer couldn't keep going the way she was. She couldn't handle her misery anymore and knew she needed to do something about it. With a shaking hand, she pulled her phone out her pocket and wrote a message before turning and walking off.

'Hey, you're phone's vibrating, you got a message,' Marissa shouted to Seth as he and Casey walked back towards her from the water.

'Ooooh, friends, maybe I have got some,' Seth replied as Marissa tossed him his phone. He quickly read the message. 'Umm, I gotta go. Leon and some of the other guys want to meet up to discuss the new Spiderman issue.'

'Ugh, you're ditching me to go talk about comics with other geeks,' Casey asked incredulously.

'Sorry but I never miss a meeting. Those losers don't have a clue what they're talking about when it comes to comics, someone has to set them straight. But she can hang with you guys right?' he added, turning to Ryan and Marissa as he dried himself off and put on his normal clothes.

'Yeah sure,' Marissa replied with a smile in Casey's direction.

'Great, so have fun and I'll call you later okay.' Casey just smiled and nodded, moving forward for a quick peck on the lips. 'Bye guys,' he added to Ryan and Marissa as he walked off.

'Bye,' they replied in unison. Seth turned and walked off down the beach.

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'Hey umm, thanks for coming over,' Summer said quietly as she opened the door, not making eye contact.

'It's no problem.'

'Yeah uhh, come in, sit, do you want a drink?'

'No thanks I'm good.'

'Oh okay. Do you mind if I uhh…...' she trailed off quietly and motioned to the kitchen with her hand.

'No of course not.' Summer mumbled thanks before walking off into the kitchen. She returned a few seconds later with a bottle of water. She took a sip after she'd sat down again, her throat was dry and was making her voice croaky.

'So I got your message, what do you wanna talk about?'

'I think you know,' Summer mumbled, still not making eye contact.

'Yeah I probably figured as much. So please talk, I'm all ears, its what I came for.'

'Okay I uhh………………...I umm.' Summer couldn't speak and she certainly couldn't stop her lower lip from trembling violently and tears filling up in her eyes. She knew she wasn't gonna last so she might as well let it all come out. 'I-I………………I……………I JUST MISS HIM SO MUCH,' she finally spluttered out along with huge, uncontrollable sobs.

'Oh I know sweetie, don't cry though, come here.' Summer obeyed her command, launching herself forward into the outstretched arms of the older woman and letting herself fall victim to her tight embrace, all the while still sobbing hysterically.

'And it's not just him I miss. I miss you and Sandy and Ryan and the house and his bed and his smell and even your cooking,' she said with a strangled half-sob, half-laugh. 'I just miss everything basically. I wish I could just turn back time to three months ago when my life was perfect because of him, not a train wreck because of him. I mean what am I gonna do Kirsten?' she sobbed loudly, her head in the lap of his mother, 'I can't live without him, I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.'

'I know Summer but don't worry, he feels exactly the same way.'

'Well you wouldn't think it from looking at the way he is with _**Casey**_,' she replied bitterly, emphasising her intense hatred on the girls name. 'And the worst thing about this is that he's with her. I mean as if it wasn't bad enough that he cheated on me with her, the fact that he stayed with her when we broke up feels like an extra kick in the face.'

'Okay, I wanted to stay outta this and let you two figure it out yourselves but seeing you like this, well that just isn't an option anymore. Summer, you don't have to believe me if you don't want but I swear that I would never lie to you.' She paused and Summer nodded weakly for her continue. 'My son did not cheat on you with Casey' she said strongly, 'he told me the whole story, in tears I might add and I haven't seen him cry for years you know, and I could tell he wasn't lying. You see when he's lying he-'

'Unconsciously squints his eyes funny, yeah I've noticed,' Summer cut in quietly. Kirsten smiled at her.

'Wow, you must really be in love with him if you look at him in that much detail. I don't think anyone's ever noticed that other than me.' Summer shrugged and nodded. 'Anyways, he looked me straight in the eye and told me he hung out with Casey a couple of times because he'd hurt her feelings at thanksgiving and he just didn't want her to think he was an ass. I'm telling you, there was not a squinty eye in sight. It was the complete, one hundred percent truth.'

Summer just nodded to show she'd heard, it did sound like something Seth would do. She knew he had this weird obsession with not giving people a good reason to hate him, he was just a nice guy like that. Summer closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks. God, how could she have been so stupid to not give him a chance to explain himself. Although it wasn't half as bad a she thought it had been, that was irrelevant because he'd still lied to her, he'd still betrayed her.

'Okay so maybe he didn't physically cheat on me, but he still kept like this huge big thing from me, I didn't deserve that,' she finally whispered quietly in reply.

'I know that Summer and believe me, so does he. He knows he made a mistake and he would've done anything to fix it, he still wants to for that matter.'

'Well he's with Casey now. If he ever did really love me, why didn't he put up a better fight for me instead of just running off and hooking up with her for real.'

Think about it Summer. He showed up on your doorstep to beg for a chance to explain, only to find you already in bed with another guy. Then when he tried to talk to you, you just slammed the door in his face. He felt like you'd moved on without even giving him a chance to explain and that pissed him off. So he did the only thing he could think of at that moment, he went and got revenge if you will.'

'Okay so maybe I was a bit stupid with the way I acted that day, and maybe it was a bit stupid to invite the guy over, but I never slept with him. I just couldn't, I still can't,' she mumbled, her lower lip beginning to tremble again. Kirsten's eyes widened.

'What, so you mean you-'

'Yep, we've been apart for two months and I still haven't been with anyone but Seth. I just can't, I don't really want to for that matter. I just love him so much that it's him and only him that I ever want to be with. All the while he's off probably having tons of sex with Casey,' she added bitterly.

'Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that,' Kirsten replied with a smile.

'Why not? He told me at a party a week ago that he had when we were having an argument,' Summer asked confusedly.

'Yeah and I suppose you told him you'd slept with your new boyfriend,' Kirsten asked. Summer nodded embarrassedly, causing the older woman to close her eyes and shake her head amusedly. 'Oldest trick in the book sweetie, tell your ex you're screwing someone else to make them jealous. I wouldn't be surprised if he can't bring himself to sleep with Casey either and he's just letting you think he has.'

'Well it's good that he might be lying about getting it because he's completely ruined my sex life.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well I uhh……………I shouldn't say,' she mumbled embarrassedly, 'he is your son after all.'

'Yeah well I think I can handle it,' Kirsten replied with a smile, 'and it doesn't matter what it is, if you need to get it out in the open then I wanna hear it.'

'Okay well umm, me and Seth hardly ever had sex.' Kirsten just frowned at her confusedly so she continued. 'We didn't have sex, we made love. As in it wasn't mainly about physical pleasure, although it was amazing, it was all about emotion, about commitment, about showing each other how strong our love was through our sexuality. After it I'd just snuggle as close as I could to him and think about the future, and all I could see was happiness and us being together forever, it was the most amazing feeling in the world.' Kirsten nodded to show she understood. 'Well now that's the only type of sex I want and I know the only person who'll ever be able to give it to me is Seth. That's why I can't and don't really want to sleep with anyone else.'

'Well that makes sense,' Kirsten replied. 'Look, I don't mean to be blunt but I'm just gonna get straight to the point of all this. Do you love my son?' Summer nodded instantly, of that she had no doubts. 'Do you still want to be with him?' Summer hesitated slightly this time but finally nodded firmly. 'Then why the hell aren't you?' Kirsten finally said exasperatedly.

'Because he's the one that caused us to fall apart in the first place and I shouldn't be the one who has to go crawling back to him asking for second chances,' Summer replied angrily. 'He should have to come here and beg for a second chance.'

'He already did that remember Summer, and he came away thinking you were already sleeping with someone else and had completely forgotten about him. And you mean to say that the only reason you haven't talked over your problems and you aren't back together right now, is because you're both too stubborn to make the first move.' Kirsten shook her head amusedly. 'God, kids can be stupid sometimes.'

'Well I'm sorry but this is just who I am. Even though I want nothing more, I don't feel like I should be the one making the effort to get back together when we broke up because of a mistake he made. But that's where you come in. I was umm…………I was thinking that you could talk to him and you know, convince him to make the first move.' Kirsten immediately shook her head.

'Not gonna happen Summer. What makes you think that even I would be able to convince him to come over here and try apologizing again after the way you acted last time? No the way I see it, you have two options. You can either get over him or get under him.'

'I'm sorry, what,' Summer asked confusedly.

'You can either stop moping, maybe have sex with someone else, erase every last memory of him from your life and try your hardest to completely forget about him, that would be getting over him. Or you can swallow your pride and make the first move, tell him you love him, have hotter than hot "I love you and wanna be with you forever" makeup sex and live happily ever after, that would be getting under him.' Summer snorted at her words.

'So let me get this straight. You're telling me to either ignore him or have sex with him?' Kirsten nodded. 'I'm sorry but that has to be the weirdest advice anyone has ever given, especially when the subject matter is their own son,' she said amusedly. Kirsten laughed.

'True it is a little weird but you know I'm right.' Summer nodded.

'Yeah but say if I did show up in his room and told him I loved him and he said it back and we had perfect makeup sex and then lived happily ever after, wouldn't you be mad at him for cheating on Casey? I mean she is his girlfriend after all. Do you like her? Is she a better girlfriend than me?'

'I'll be honest with you Summer. No I wouldn't be mad at him although yes I do like her. However, I don't think she's a better girlfriend than you. She's a nice enough girl, she funny and always polite, but she just isn't the one my son's supposed to be with.' Summer smiled at her words.

'Okay, I'll think about it. I don't have a clue what I'm gonna do yet but I know I can't go on like this.'

'Yeah, no offence but you're a bit of a mess right now.'

'I know, I haven't brushed my hair today and I bet my makeup's all runny from the crying.' Kirsten rolled her eyes.

'Not a physical mess Summer, you're as beautiful as ever, I mean you're an emotional mess. You're just all over the place right now.'

'Yeah, anyways, thanks for coming over Kirsten,' Summer said with a watery eyed smile as she moved in for a hug, 'I really needed someone to talk to.'

'Its no problem sweetie, anytime you need anything at all, just call and I'll be here in two seconds flat. And even if things don't work out for you and Seth, I'll still love you and still always be there for you.' Summer nodded silently, wiping the tears forming in her eyes away with the back of her hand. Kirsten stood up and walked towards the door before turning to face her. 'Right, I gotta go but can I ask something of you.' Summer nodded in reply. 'When you make the right choice, please don't do it when I'm in the house,' she said with a smirk. Summer smirked back and nodded. With that, Kirsten turned and left the house.

Summer's mind was racing. She'd found out that he hadn't cheated on her. She'd found out that he might possibly be playing the same game as her in saying that he'd slept with Casey when actually he hadn't. She still didn't know what to do though. She wanted to be with him more than ever, but she didn't think that her stupid pride would let her.

She knew that Seth was just as stubborn and that he was probably the same. He probably still wanted to be with her but his own pride wouldn't let him make the first move and try to win her back again. Summer knew that if he did show up again saying he loved her and wanted to be with her, she'd take him back this time without a second thought. She knew that if she was the one to go to him, he'd probably take her back too. Only problem was, both of them were just too damn stubborn to go for what they really wanted.

Yes Summer knew she was in quite a pickle. Much similar to something some old playwright from England had once written hundreds of years ago. To get over him or get under him, that is the question.

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**A/N – There you go people, a nice little filler chapter for you. Please leave a review. Same thing again, I'm not writing the next chapter until I get plenty of reviews for this one so you know what you gotta do. HIT THAT REVIEW BUTTON!!! Thanks.**


	29. These feelings won't go away

**A/N – TWENTY FIVE REVIEWS, you guys rock my world with your fantastic reviewing. Admittedly it's probably because I've been blackmailing you lol, but if this is the response I'm gonna get then I'm certainly not gonna stop. Anyways, here's the next chapter. MAJOR DRAMA in this one so please leave a review.**

**WARNING – Some disturbing themes in this one so be warned.**

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Despite everything pointing towards it, Seth refused to believe that she was completely over him. He couldn't accept that she really had just forgotten the four amazing months they'd spent together, that the two months before that they'd spent getting to know each other as friends, all the while falling for each other hard and fast, was nothing but a distant memory to her now. That amount of time spent having amazing sex, doing everything together, building the base for a happy future together, couldn't be that easy to forget, could it?

Ever since he was ten, yes _**ten**_, Seth had been madly in love with her. Then when she'd finally come into his life, his love had only grown a hundred times stronger. Then he'd made one foolish mistake but instead of giving him a chance to explain like any normal girlfriend would, she'd chosen to trample on his heart instead.

He wasn't happy with Casey, he knew that and he had a feeling that she did too. He also thought that Summer might've known as well and she was either pleased by it or she just didn't care. Sure Casey had been a distraction from the pain and heartbreak at first, but now she couldn't even do that. He spent every waking hour thinking about his Summer, or more about the fact that she wasn't his anymore. Considering the way she'd so easily cut him out of her life, more and more often he found himself wondering if she'd ever been his at all.

That was the worst thing about the whole situation for Seth. She'd made him so angry with the way she'd moved on hours after finding out about his mistake without trying to work through their problems. Because that's all it was, a problem, and all problems have solutions. But even though she'd stomped on his heart and shattered his dignity, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop his love for her from continuing to grow every day.

He'd pass her in the halls and she'd look genuinely happy, laughing and joking and always surrounded by a bunch of shallow jocks and skanks. And despite being bitter about what he saw, Seth still couldn't help but think that she was the one for him. It was ironic because the more he saw her, the more he hated her for just giving up on him, but at the same time the more he loved her for how happy she'd made him for those four short months.

Sometimes he thought about trying again, he thought about going over to her house and getting down on his knees and begging for another chance again. But then painful memories of the last time he tried it would spring into his mind and he'd instantly be filled with intense anger and bitterness. He thought that after the way she'd treated him, if she did want to get back together like he did, she should be the one to grovel this time. It seemed that she didn't want that though as she showed no signs of even talking to him, let alone begging him to get back together.

Seth still wanted Summer, but he genuinely thought that she didn't want him anymore and if that was the case, he wasn't going to bother wasting his time trying to get back with her. He figured that junior year was almost over then there was only one year of high school left. He could spend that trying to have fun with Casey and then move to a college the opposite end of the country to Summer, who would no doubt want to stay in the west coast sunshine. One year, then he could finally get away from her and move on with his life, maybe learn to love someone else.

Of course that wasn't his preferred option, that would be getting back together with her, but he was just too proud and stubborn to risk giving her the satisfaction of breaking his heart again. As far as Seth was concerned he had two options, to either get with her or get away from her. He knew which one he wanted, but he refused to initiate it. If she didn't come crawling back to him then he would have to settle with struggling through senior year and then getting as far away from her and his crappy life as possible. He was under no illusions, he knew he would always be madly in love with her and he also knew that if she really was over him, it was gonna be a hell of a long year before he could finally get away and try to do the same.

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Summer had made her decision. She knew it was gonna be hard, but she had a plan. Her pride wouldn't let her do what she really wanted to so she had settled for the other option, she was going to get over him. Summer had created a plan that would hopefully make her feelings for him go away, or at least weaken them significantly.

The first step was to erase every memory of him from her life, which she had already done. She had already taken every item she owned that somehow reminded her of him, and buried it deep in her walk-in closet. The next step was to have sex with Tyrone. She couldn't think of anyone she wanted to sleep with less but she had no choice, she figured that sleeping with him would make her completely forget about Cohen.

She still loved him more than anyone but love was just an emotion, and she had been controlling and dictating her emotions for as long as she could remember, until she'd found him that is. It had been the first time that she hadn't been able to control her emotions. She hadn't meant to fall in love with him, she hadn't even wanted to at first but it had just happened, she'd had absolutely no control over it.

But Summer was determined to force herself to un-love him so to speak, because if he wasn't going to try and win her back again and it really looked like he wasn't, he obviously didn't love her like she loved him. She still wanted him more than anything but it had been almost two months since he had tried to win her back and she had shot him down, so he was obviously over her and completely happy with his slutty new girlfriend.

While Summer couldn't say that she was as happy, she had been acting it for months. She was pleased to find that after showing her true self to him for half a year, her skills at being fake and pretending to be happy hadn't gotten any weaker. It may be that they'd even got better because even Seth seemed to be convinced that she was happy and he knew her better than anyone. Either that or he knew she was miserable and he just didn't care.

Whatever the case, Summer was sick of pretending and sick of waiting for him to come back to her. It was obvious that he was happy and was never gonna try to win her back again so she thought it was about time that she afforded herself the same luxury and tried to look for some genuine happiness. She knew that she was looking for it in all the wrong places and that neither Tyrone nor any other shithead jock could make her happy, but at the moment it was the best idea she had.

Her conversation with Kirsten a week ago had been the opportunity to vent her frustrations that she had desperately needed, but it hadn't succeeded in convincing her that her pride didn't matter as much as her happiness. In fact, it had only made her more determined to either show him what he was missing out on and make him beg her again, or to move on with her life without him.

After a week of heavily making out with Tyrone whenever he was near seemed to have had absolutely no affect on him, she had finally decided that it was time to move on. She would always love him, but he obviously didn't feel the same. Based on that, Summer had finally come to terms with the fact that although they'd had an amazing four months, maybe they weren't soul mates like she'd thought, maybe they weren't meant to be together.

Summer thought she'd be able to get over him because she had always been strong. She'd gotten over her mother leaving, she'd gotten over her father shunning her and she'd gotten over Marissa never being there for her, so she could sure as hell get over him. Well that's what she kept telling herself but truthfully she wasn't so sure. When it came to Seth Cohen she had a weakness, a vulnerability in the fact that he was the only person who knew the real her. He was the only person who she'd ever bore her soul to and because of that, he'd always have a big place in her heart.

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It was another Saturday, another party at Holly's beach house and another case of Seth Cohen getting drunk. He'd already had five or six cups from the keg and a drunk Seth, meant an unusually confident Seth. He was stood by the drinks table, more for the purpose of using it as support in staying on his feet than to get drinks, and was flirting with every girl that walked past him. He was totally oblivious to the glares he was receiving from both his current girlfriend and his ex.

He was surprised to find that while most of the girls looked at him with disgust, some of them actually blushed at his advances and flirted back. If he knew that all it took was being confident to get girls to notice him, he would've got drunk and stayed drunk years ago. Not that it mattered anyway, he didn't want any of the girls he was talking to and he didn't really want the girl he would be going home with. He only wanted one girl and he'd had her at one point, but that was all in the past now. Summer was his past and Casey or some other girl similar to her was now his future, a future he knew would be spent unhappy and pining for his true love.

Thinking of her, he looked up and spotted her in the corner. She was as usual, laughing and smiling with a whole bunch of popular people, with her arm wrapped round her dumbass boyfriend. It made Seth want to cry every time he saw it but then he remembered, he now had a plan. Have fun with Casey until high school was finished, then go off to a college on the east coast and never see her again.

Seth was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see his girlfriend staring angrily at him. 'I'm leaving,' she said coldly.

'What, why?' he replied merrily, the alcohol obviously having an affect on him. 'Stay baby, we only just got here,' he added as he tried to wrap his arms round her and pull her in for a big kiss.

'We've been here for two hours Seth,' she replied angrily as she pushed him away, 'and in that time I've seen you hit on every girl in the party apart from the one you actually want to be with.'

'Who, you? Well don't feel jealous, come here and I'll hit on you and do a lot more,' he said with a grin, attempting to pull her body into his again.

'Except we both know that I'm not really the one you want,' Casey replied coldly, a few tears beginning to roll down her face.

'What the hell are you talking about woman?' Seth said impatiently. 'Of course it's you I want, it always has been, you know that.'

'STOP FEEDING ME BULLSHIT SETH,' she shouted, causing a few heads to turn. 'I can't do this anymore,' she whispered, tears still rolling down her face.

'What? Is this what I think it is? Are you fucking dumping me?' he replied angrily.

'I don't know yet. All I know is that you've been a major asshole tonight and I'm leaving. Don't bother calling me, I'll see you when I'm ready.' With that she turned and stomped off crying.

'FINE, GO. I DON'T NEED YOU BITCH!' Seth shouted after her. He knew he really did need her. Well not specifically her, just a girl to take his mind off Summer. He turned back round and instantly his gaze fixed on her. She had apparently seen the exchange and was smirking unsympathetically at him. He felt a surge of anger shoot through him. He thought that she had no right to be happy about it. After all, it was her fault that he was, or had been, with Casey in the first place.

Seth turned and stalked off to find Ryan and Marissa. He didn't feel like drinking anymore, he just felt like going home and crying into his pillow. Not over the fact that he and Casey may be finished, over the fact that he was now alone and that seemed to make Summer happy. He loved her and wanted to be with her but most of all he just wanted her to be happy, whether that be with him or somebody else. He would gladly take a lifetime of misery if that's what it took for her to have a lifetime of happiness, apparently she didn't reciprocate the feeling.

Summer didn't know why, but the sight of Seth and Casey fighting pleased her a lot more than it should have. It made her think that maybe there was hope, that maybe he'd come crawling back to her tonight and tell her he loved her and plead for her to give him a second chance. Not that it mattered anyway because she had already set her **"forget about Cohen"** plan in motion.

She'd already erased all traces that he'd ever been in her house and tonight, tonight was the night she completed phase two. Yes, she had decided that tonight, she was going to fully give herself to Tyrone. Just the thought of it was making her stomach churn but she knew she had to do it. After all, how could she ever get over Cohen when she had still only given herself fully to him?

Summer knew what she was going to do was a big mistake, but she was so tired of hurting, of pining, of loving someone that evidently didn't love her back, that she was willing to try anything to rid herself of her feelings.

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An hour later Seth was still at the party, moping in the corner. He had not had another drink and had sobered up considerably, now he was just in a foul mood. Ryan and Marissa were off playing seven minutes in heaven in a closet somewhere so he was sat all alone, no girlfriend, no friends, no life. Basically the Seth Cohen of a year ago was back, and he hated it.

He looked up and spotted Summer, she was over at the drinks table chatting with Holly. Seth knew she hated her but since the break-up they'd become like BFF's. it sickened him how just because of one stupid mistake on his part that she could revert back to her old self, someone he knew she didn't want to be. When he'd appeared on her doorstep two months ago she'd told him some bullshit about how she could go back to who she really was, the girl who dates the jocks and hangs with the skanks.

Seth knew that she was doing the opposite. She was being someone she wasn't because if she got hurt like she had been by him, it wouldn't hurt quite as much because the real her hadn't been hurt. It was like a classic Summer Roberts defence mechanism. Revert into a bitchy shell whenever feeling vulnerable/ hurt/lonely.

Seth didn't like it. He sat looking at her with disgust. It made him feel like he had nothing to show for his four perfect months with her as that had been his proudest achievement, making her come out of her shell and be her true self. So what if they'd broken up, she should at least have had the decency to keep being herself. After all, who was going to love the fake her. He had a suspicion that even her fake friends and fake boyfriend didn't like the fake her, nobody did. But she should've stayed real because even if he couldn't be with her, he knew he wouldn't be the last person to fall in love with the real Summer Roberts. She was just so smart and funny and a generally all round amazing, perfect person.

He was snapped out of his trance by someone roughly pulling him up and slamming him against the wall, their hand wrapped firmly round his throat. 'Are you checking out my girlfriend geek?' Tyrone said menacingly as everyone in the room turned to face them. They were obviously itching to see him get his nose broken as Seth looked round and saw that the majority of them had smiles on their faces.

'NO!' Seth managed to choke out as he shoved him away and massaged his throat. 'I have a girlfriend of my own man.'

'What, Casey. She's not a girlfriend, she's just a fucking slut. She's been through everyone else so she's obviously decided to try her hand at turning the homosexuals.' Everyone in the room roared with laughter, including Summer which hurt Seth a million times more than he let show. He just casually rolled his eyes even though he felt like busting into tears at Summer's participation in his humiliation.

'How many times do I have to tell you man, I'm not gay,' he mumbled, 'and Casey isn't a slut.'

'Yeah right, she's not a slut,' Tyrone replied sarcastically with a harsh laugh, 'well she definitely was when I fucked her. I've never fucked a girl that actually wanted me to put it in her ass. If that's not a slut then I don't know what is.' Everyone burst into laughter again and Seth felt anger begin to flare up inside him. Although he didn't love Casey and she didn't particularly mean that much to him, he knew she was a decent person. Plus he didn't believe a word that came out of Tyrone's mouth, he was always trying to make himself look good and other people look bad.

'That's complete bullshit, she told me that she never fucked you. She told me that she went to but couldn't do it because she couldn't stop laughing at how tiny your dick was,' Seth replied with a cocky smirk. He knew his comment was bound to get him a severe beating but he didn't care, he'd been on the receiving end so many times that he barely felt the pain anymore. The majority of the room burst into hysterical laughter at his words, while Tyrone went a deep shade of red and his eyes narrowed in rage.

'You fucking pathetic little geek,' he roared as he roughly grabbed Seth and tossed him into the centre of the room so everyone could get a good view of the ass kicking. 'Don't you dare make up shit like that about me. Prepare to die queer.'

'Whatever asshole, lets just get this over with so you can go screw your girlfriend of the week with that tiny dick of yours,' Seth replied smugly. He knew he was getting battered anyway so he might as well maximize the dickhead's humiliation. As the crowd burst into laughter again, Tyrone let at a sort of rage-filled war cry, grabbed Seth's shirt and raised his fist, ready to start delivering the blows.

'STOP!' Everyone in the room, including Seth and Tyrone, turned to look at Summer. Seth's heart skipped a beat. He knew it would happen at some point if he didn't give up hope, that Summer would come to her senses and come back to him. He prayed with all his heart that she was about to tell Tyrone to leave him alone and that she would let the dumb bastard lay a finger on him, because she loved him and nobody hurt the guy she loved. He stared at her in anticipation along with the rest of the crowd. He had a feeling in his gut that this was the moment, the moment she'd tell the world that she loved him and then they'd go home and make love all night, all the while exchanging genuine declarations of adoration. Then they'd wake up the next morning and it'd be like they'd never been apart.

The whole room watched in silence as she turned to the counter and fixed herself a drink. She then flipped round and sat herself on the counter. Then with a devilish smirk, she uttered the words that put the final dagger through Seth's heart and killed it for good.

'Carry on.'

Seth's mouth dropped open as the rest of the crowd cheered. He didn't even feel the first blow powerfully crashing into his nose, causing it to pour with blood. He didn't feel the punch after that or after that or after that. He was going through such intense emotional pain that the physical pain was nothing compared to it. He didn't even bother to put up his hands to protect his face or squirm to get free or fight back like he usually did. He just stood there and took the savage beating to his face. He didn't care anymore, he'd officially given up any hope for Summer and himself, he felt like his life was over.

He didn't even realize the beating had stopped until he looked up and saw Ryan roughly pinning Tyrone against the wall. He knew they were talking but he could barely focus. He managed to compose himself enough to hear what they were saying.

'If you so much as look at him funny again, I'll snap you into so many pieces that they'll have to put you back together with tweezers.' Seth didn't know that Ryan could muster such a violent and descriptive sentence.

'Whatever man. You better watch your back Cohen because your boyfriend isn't always gonna be around to protect you.' With that, Tyrone shoved Ryan away and stalked off. The crowd around them dispersed and the music flared again. Seth didn't even realize Ryan was talking to him until he saw him waving a hand in front of his face.

'Hey man, you okay.'

'What, oh yeah, I'm fine,' Seth mumbled. 'Thanks for the help buddy. I'm gonna go clean myself up and then take a little alone time to contemplate my recent beating.'

'Okay bro, come find me when you want to go home. You sure you're okay, you look a little dazed.' All Seth could muster the energy to do was nod in reply before walking off. He made for the bathroom. When he got back downstairs five minutes later, face no longer covered in blood but nose and eyes visibly swelling, he made for the drinks table. He subtly picked up an unopened bottle of vodka before looking both ways to make sure that Ryan and Marissa didn't notice, and slipping out the back door. Little did he know that someone else who cared greatly about him had noticed, and his action filled her with guilt, regret and terror.

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Summer kicked open the bedroom door with force, never once disconnecting lips with him. She moaned into his mouth, she wasn't getting hot at all but she had to pretend she was enjoying it. Her conscience was screaming at her that she was making a huge mistake that she would regret for the rest of her life, and that what she should really be doing was going to try and fix her mess.

She knew that her Cohen and vodka didn't mix but it was too late now, even if she did try to stop him why would he listen to a word she said. The look on his face when she'd uttered those two words broke her heart, because it was obvious that those words had not so much broken his, more steamrollered over it. Her world had come crashing down with that look because it had answered all the questions she had been dying to know the answers to for the last two months. His look had screamed _"I still love you, I always have and I always will. There wasn't a second in the last two months where I haven't wanted to be with you, to tell you how much I loved you. But it's obvious that you don't feel the same way so don't worry, I promise that I will never bother you ever again". _It was amazing that she could read all that from a split second look into his eyes, but she could and seeing what she did made her realize that she'd made the biggest mistake of her life.

Not that it mattered anymore though, especially not when Tyrone was down to his boxers and was in the process of rapidly removing her clothes too. She let him slip her out of her underwear so she was completely naked. She hated the way that he looked at her like she was nothing but a piece of meat that he was about to chew up and spit out. He moved forward and roughly thrust his tongue down her throat again before pulling back and practically throwing her on the bed.

He jumped on top of her, knocking the wind out of her in the process. They hadn't even done anything yet but Summer could already tell that she was in for an uncaring, horrid and even slightly violent experience. When she'd had rough sex with Seth he would still be caring, slowing down and kissing her gently when he saw that she was struggling with the pace at which things were going. Tyrone though, was the type of guy that wouldn't stop for anything, even if she was in pain.

As he ripped open the packaging of a condom and sheathed it on himself, all Summer could think of was one person. How he'd meant everything to her and even after all the pain he'd put her through, it still felt like she was betraying him. Her mind flashed through all her experiences with him. That first kiss up against her freshly painted bedroom wall. The first time they held hands under the table at lunch. The first date at that romantic little restaurant in the middle of Hollywood. Their first fight when she'd first seen him talking to Casey in the hallway. She thought about it all and it all formed into one clear as day thought:

"_Fuck my pride, I love him, I want to be with him and I always will. I need to find him, I just hope it's not too late."_

'WAIT!' Summer screamed just as he was about to push into her. She shoved him off and sat up. 'I'm sorry, I can't do this.'

'WHAT!!! You've gotta be fucking kidding me. What is it now?' Tyrone replied, sounding extremely angry.

'Nothing, I just…………………I just can't,' Summer whispered as she dressed. When she finished she began to walk towards the door but halted when she felt a firm, even slightly painful grip on her forearm.

'No fucking way bitch. I'm not letting you go until I get a reason why you won't have sex with me,' Tyrone said, obviously completely enraged with the situation.

'Just let me go Ty,' Summer pleaded, not turning round to look at him.

'NO, ANSWER ME WHORE!'

'BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE OKAY,' she screamed as she whipped round to face him. He looked shocked as she had tears streaming down her face.

'What, who?'

'Seth Cohen,' she said strongly. She didn't care who knew anymore, she was proud of it. She'd willingly shout it from the rooftops but as far as she was concerned only one person needed to know, and she needed to find him to tell him.

'COHEN?' He said, mouth hanging open in disbelief. 'As in nerdy little queer Cohen who's ass I just kic-' He was cut off by a huge slap to his face.

'Don't you EVER talk about him or hurt him again,' she whispered venomously, 'he's a million times the guy you could ever be.' With that, she turned towards the door. Just as she put her hand on the doorknob to open it she turned to him and said, 'and for the record, he was right. You do have a tiny dick, at least compared to him anyway,' before sauntering out, leaving the door open.

Tyrone just stood there completely stunned and still naked, until Holly appeared at the door. 'Hey Ty,' she said sweetly, eyeing his naked form up and down. 'So, was Summer good?'

'I never got any action off the stupid bitch,' he replied, still a little dazed from her powerful slap.

'What, in two months?' Holly asked, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

'Yep. I always wondered why she was so frigid, turns out she's in love with Seth Cohen.'

'WHAT!! Did she just tell you that?'

'Uh huh. Right before slapping me and running off. Stupid little bitch, all I wanted was a fuck and then I would've dumped her, she was way to bossy and annoying.'

'Well, seeing as you won't be fucking her tonight or ever for that matter, will I do for you?' she said with a seductive grin.

'Ooh, keep talking,' he replied with a smirk.

'How about I stop talking……' Holly replied sexily before ripping her tanktop over her head, '……and start undressing.'

'Even better,' he replied, looking like Christmas had come early. Holly grinned back and locked the door. Some things never changed.

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Summer jogged down the beach. She knew where he'd be. It was the place it had all began so it was very likely that he'd go there when he was totally certain it was the end. She couldn't believe it had been eight months already, it had certainly flown by. Eight months ago she had hated him and struggled to remember his name most of the time, so it was kinda ironic that now he was her entire world. Every emotion, every tiny little thing she ever felt was now in some way linked to him, and judging from his look earlier when she'd egged Tyrone on like everybody else, it was exactly the same for him.

She didn't even bother thinking about whether or not he was actually gonna take her back, that was the least important thing in the world right now. The most important thing was that he knew how she felt, that he was her one, her one and only. After her confession to Tyrone, she knew that everyone else would know by Monday too but honestly, she didn't give two shits. It didn't matter what they knew or thought anymore, all that mattered to Summer was him knowing.

She thought about what she'd done earlier. It was unforgivable, despicable, the lowliest thing she'd ever done. She never thought she could do anything so horrible to anyone, even Holly, let alone the guy she was completely, insanely in love with. Summer knew that every little action had a reaction, she just prayed to God that his reaction wasn't as catastrophic as it had the potential to be. Thinking that the girl you were madly in love with hated you would be unbearable for anyone, add the fact that he didn't handle any sort of drama well and a large bottle of vodka into the mix, it had the potential to evoke some disastrous results.

Summer saw it in the distance, the large rock behind which he had nearly given his life to save her from being raped. It was a symbol of the beginning of their relationship, of their love that would go on to be everlasting, at least for her anyway. Summer knew that seventy years down the line when she was old and grey and every breath could be her last, images of the adorable, dimpled seventeen year old boy who had stolen her heart would still flow through her mind as if it was yesterday. She knew there was no rule about not falling in love with more than one person but she got the feeling that he was it for her, that there would never be anyone else, that no one would be able to compare to him in her eyes. She reached the rock and rounded it, ready to face her destiny.

'SETH!!!'

Tears immediately began streaming down her face as she ran over to his crumpled body. She knelt over him, looking down at her love. His face was pale and gaunt and he looked completely lifeless. She felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she cupped his smooth face in her hands and began to lightly shake and slap it, trying to force him to open his eyes. It was exactly what she had done eight months ago only this time, judging by his face he wasn't going to recover so easily.

'Seth, come on baby please wake up. You can't do this to me,' she frantically whispered in his ear through choked sobs. 'I LOVE YOU, I NEED YOU,' she screamed at his limp form before burying her face in his chest. It wasn't that much of a relief to feel a heartbeat and his chest slowly rising and falling, as it was so weak that she got the feeling that it wouldn't last much longer.

'Seth please wake up,' she whimpered despairingly, 'I can't live without you, you're everything to me, EVERYTHING!!' She decided to call an ambulance but first she needed a vague idea of what had got him in the state he was. She scanned the area around her, looking for something, anything that would give her an idea of what he'd done to himself. She spotted the bottle of vodka a few feet away. It was only a quarter empty so it definitely wasn't alcohol poisoning. As she went to take his hand in hers, she felt something gripped tightly in his. She pulled it out his firm grip and studied it. It was a bottle of antidepressants, class 1, the strongest available type. He must've taken them from the medecine cabinet in the bathroom back at the beach house, she'd noticed he'd looked a little fishy when he reappeared downstairs before grabbing the vodka and heading out.

'OH MY GOD COHEN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE,' she sobbed loudly at his body. The bottle said twenty pills and there were none left. Summer knew that if he'd had more than ten he'd be dead within the hour and if he'd downed them with the vodka, well that didn't bear thinking about. She frantically pulled out her cell phone and with violently shaking hands, she dialled 911.

'_Hello operator, what's your emergency.'_

M...…m-m...my……b-boyfriend's……d…d-d…d-dying,' Summer choked out despairingly. There were several things wrong with her reply. Firstly, he hadn't been her boyfriend in months and secondly, he looked so messed up that for all she knew, he could've been dead already. She refused to accept that though. He just couldn't die on her because if he did, she'd die along with him. Not physically, although she wasn't so sure about that, she knew people could die of greif, but certainly personality wise. The real Summer Roberts, the girl he loved and the girl she loved being, would die along with him. That just couldn't happen because if he did die, she'd be stuck with a lifetime of feelings that she couldn't act upon. Summer had had a revelation tonight. She had relized that no matter what happened, her feelings wouldn't go away.

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**A/N – This chapter was dramatic as hell and a bitch to write so please leave a review. Same format, I'm not gonna start writing the next chapter until I get plenty of reviews for this one. Hehehehe, I'm evil I know but I just can't help myself, I'm addicted to your comments, good or bad. Please hit that button below. Thanks peeps.**


	30. When will I see you again?

**A/N – Thanks for the awesome reviews folks, keep it going. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it and please reviews. Thanks.**

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'Summer, you need to tell me exactly what happened okay.'

'I-I…………..he…………..he c-can't die. I love him, I-I n-need him. He's Cohen, m-my Cohen. H-he makes me a b-better person, he makes me wh-who I am.' Summer was sat in a chair in the waiting room, knees pulled up to her chest, rocking back and forth and sobbing uncontrollably.

'I know honey but you really need to tell me everything you know.' Summer looked up at him at his words, with huge puffy eyes and a trembling lower lip.

'Sandy, please tell me he's gonna be okay,' she whispered, practically begging him to tell her what she wanted to hear. 'I just can't lose him, I can't live without him.' She knew she was asking him a question he didn't have the answer to but even if he lied to her it would make her feel a little better.

'I………..I don't know Summer,' he replied with a tired sigh. That was all it took for her to bury her face in her knees and begin to sob hysterically again. Kirsten was sat a few seats away. When they had arrived she'd been pretty much the same but unlike Summer, she'd managed to compose herself and was now sat blankly staring ahead at the white wall. Summer highly suspected that she had zoned out and couldn't hear a word of her and Sandy's conversation.

'Th-this is all my fault,' she choked out despairingly.

'No sweetie, you could quite possibly have saved his life. If you hadn't found him and brought him in he might be dead already.'

'Yeah but it's totally on me if he does die. I……...I did something bad tonight,' she whispered despairingly, 'really bad.'

'What?'

'I-I…………I broke his heart,' she whimpered, tears still streaming down her face. Sandy sighed and wrapped his arms around her.

'Look, I know you've been going through some problems but he wouldn't do this because of that, it's not the Cohen way. We make jokes to hide our pain.'

'I think I drove him to the point where he couldn't joke anymore though. You should've seen the look on his face Sandy, it was like he had nothing left to live for, and it's all because of me,' she cried, breaking down again.

There there kiddo, you need to calm down and be strong for Seth. He's gonna need us, especially you, if he's gonna pull through this.' Summer nodded, knowing he was right, and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

'I'm gonna go to the toilet and clean myself up okay.' Sandy nodded and let her out of the tight hug. He gave her the best comforting smile he could though she could tell he was living his own worst nightmare, before trudging over to Kirsten to see how she was doing. Summer got up and walked slowly towards the bathroom. It was like she wasn't in control of her movements. She knew she was moving but it was like her mind was distant. Everything was just such a blur.

When she got to the bathroom she locked herself in a cubicle, slid down the wall and began letting out silent sobs. Her whole body was shaking violently, her chest felt tight and she was struggling to draw breath through her sobs. The door swung open and two women walked in. She heard them turn on taps and begin to wash their hands.

'Right, I best go and deliver the bad news,' she heard one of them say with an unhappy sigh.

'What's that?'

'That guy that was bought in about half an hour ago, he was actually dead on arrival but I haven't told the family yet. He was only a young guy, he had his whole life ahead of him.'

'Oh I know what you mean. That has to be one of the worst things about working in a hospital, having to tell the family,' the other one replied sympathetically before they dried their hands and walked out. Summer couldn't move, she could breathe, she couldn't cry, she couldn't do anything. All she could do was sit there and let it hit her like a steam train, he was dead, gone and not coming back. She'd never get the chance to tell him how she felt and how sorry she was for the last two months. She'd never see his smile again, hear his laugh, feel his touch. Sure they hadn't said his name but how many young guys could've been brought in in the last half hour. She just knew it, she had a gut feeling that it was him and she felt herself dying too.

She stood up and unlocked the cubicle before opening the bathroom door and heading out. She saw the nurses rounding the corner at the end of the corridor and followed them, she already knew where they were going but she needed to see it for herself. When she rounded the corner and saw them opening the waiting room door, Summer slid down a nearby wall, curled herself into a fetal position and sobbed like there was no tomorrow. A nurse came rushing over and asked if she was alright but she didn't reply, she couldn't stop crying. Her brain had obviously decided to make her cry herself to death so she could be with him again.

She would've gladly traded places with him. She knew that if anyone deserved to die it was her. He was the one that deserved the long and happy life, not that she would be getting that though. She knew that the chances of her ever being happy again had died along with him, and it was totally her own fault.

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'Summer.'

She looked up at her name being called and saw Sandy looking down at her with worry. 'It's alright, I got it from here,' he said to the nurse with a weak smile. The nurse nodded and walked off. He trudged over and crouched down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. 'Come on kiddo, it's gonna be alright, stay strong.'

'H-how is this gonna be alright?' she sobbed. 'He's dead, HE'S FUCKING DEAD,' she screamed. 'The love of my life is gone,' she whispered, curling up into a little ball again and crying hysterically.

'What?' Sandy said confusedly. 'Umm, no he's not Summer, at least not that we know of.'

'B-but the nurse, and th-the……………..I, the b-bathroom, she said someone was dead, I-I……….she, I heard……………y-y-young guy dead,' she stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. It seemed though, that Sandy understood what she said.

'No sweetie that was the couple a few seats down from us. Their son has been killed in a motorcycle accident.'

'S-so you mean he's still alive,' Summer whispered, the desperation for him to say yes evident in her tone.

'As far as we know, yes he's still alive.' Summer let out a huge breath of relief and burst into tears of joy. She knew he still had a long way to go to recovery, and they hadn't heard anything from the doctors so they really didn't have a clue what sort of state he was in. But despite the fact that death was still a very real possibility and someone else had lost their life, Summer couldn't help but faintly smile. She saw it as a sign, she'd thought he was gone but it turned out he was still fighting, that had to mean something.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered, 'I heard them in the bathroom and jumped to conclusions.'

'Its okay. Come on,' he said as he pulled her up, 'you need to be there when they tell us he's okay,' he added with a comforting smile. Summer smiled back and nodded. She trusted Sandy and if he had faith that Seth was going to be okay then so did she.

Her faith instantly waned though when they walked in the waiting room to see Kirsten sobbing with a doctor trying to comfort her. Summer froze as Sandy rushed over to his wife. No, it couldn't be. She'd just been given renewed hope and it was already being cruelly taken away from her again. Even though they wanted to run the other way, Summer forced her feet to move in the direction of his parents. 'What's happened?' she asked in a quiet voice, praying that it wasn't what she thought it was.

'He's hanging in there, but the doctor says his chances are about 50-50,' Kirsten sobbed, collapsing in the chair as Sandy sat down beside her with his arm wrapped around her.

'Is it true doctor,' Summer whimpered to the tall white-coated man, trying with all her might to hold in her tears.

'I'm afraid so miss,' the doctor replied with a sympathetic nod. 'The pills and alcohol have all been pumped from his system but his body has completely shut down. There is a chance that he may even be mentally conscious but his body just won't react. Basically now it all depends on how hard he tries to wake up. We have to bear in mind that this looks like an attempted suicide so if he is mentally awake, it all comes down to whether he wants to physically wake up or not. If he feels that he has nothing to live for then his vital organs will shut down and he will die. But if he wants to wake up, it's quite probable that he will.'

'So you mean he might be awake, but his body just won't work and it all depends on whether or not he wants to recover?'

'That's exactly it miss.'

'So he might be able to hear us.'

'If he is indeed mentally conscious as we suspect then yes, he will be able to hear you.'

'I need to see him,' Summer said instantly. If there was a chance he could hear her then she wanted to pour her heart out to him, to tell him she was crazy in love with him and wanted to be with him forever and have a ring from him on her finger and have his babies and grow old with him. She knew it was insane to want all that at seventeen but she couldn't help it, she knew it was what she would always want and more often than not, what Summer Roberts wanted, Summer Roberts got. She needed to tell him everything and maybe there was a chance that if she told him and he heard it, it would motivate him to fight for his survival.

'Of course you can see him now miss, follow me.' The doctor turned and Summer went to follow him. They stopped and tuned round though when they heard a voice behind them.

'Umm actually, we're his parents and we would kinda like to see him first,' Kirsten said, sending Summer a watery-eyed but apologetic smile. Summer sighed and nodded before sitting down. She figured that if she'd held in her feelings for two months, waiting a few extra minutes to spill them wouldn't cause any harm.

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Half an hour later and Summer was starting to get restless. She just wanted to get in there and tell him every little thing that had built up inside her during the last two months. She wanted to cry, she wanted to shout, she wanted to confess, she wanted to set things straight once and for all. Basically, she wanted to show herself to him, everything, the good and the bad, simply because she knew that if he was ever gonna take her back and trust her again, they had to be completely honest with each other. Everything had to be out in the open, it was the only way.

After another ten minutes she couldn't take it anymore. She got up and walked over to the receptionist. 'Hi, what room is Seth Cohen in please?'

'Are you a relative?'

'Umm, yeah, I'm his uhh sister.'

'Okay miss, he's in room 38, down the corridor, up the stairs and it's the sixth door on the right.'

'Okay thank you.' Summer set off in a jog. Emotion was welling up inside her. She was going to see him again. She knew he was going to be asleep and it was still a real possibility that he might never wake up from that sleep, but as long there was a chance that he could hear what she was saying then she'd tell him everything. And if he woke up and said he hadn't heard her then she'd just tell him again. She was sick of lying to him and lying to herself, it was time he knew the truth.

She reached the room slightly out of breath due to her hastiness. Without knocking, she flung the door open.

'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE BITCH, GET OUT!!'

'Ryan, umm, what? When did you get here?'

'You heard me, GET THE FUCK OUT,' he roared again. Summer would be lying if she said she wasn't scared, it was the angriest she'd ever seen him.

'Ryan Atwood, watch your language,' Sandy said sternly.

'Why, what did I do?' Summer said confusedly.

'What did you do, WHAT DID YOU FUCKING DO? You put him in this bed, in this coma-like thing that he might never wake up from, that's what you fucking did,' Ryan shouted, nostrils flaring in rage.

'Ryan, calm yourself and stop swearing,' Kirsten said firmly.

'I'm sorry Kirsten but if you think I'm gonna let this…………..this SLUT, come in here after what she's done then you've got another thing coming.' Summer felt tears welling up in her eyes at how harsh he was being.

'Ryan,' she whimpered miserably, 'no one can possibly hate me as much as I hate myself right now.'

'Oh you're wrong about that. I hate you more than I thought it was possible to hate someone you evil little whore.'

'Coop,' Summer said shrilly, 'are you gonna let your stupid boyfriend talk to me like tha-' before she could finish, Marissa had risen from the chair she was sitting in, walked over and slapped her across the face as hard as she could. Summer's mouth dropped open in shock and tears started streaming down her face as she brought her hand up to her red raw cheek.

'You heard him,' Marissa said coldly, 'get out bitch, no one wants you here. Eleven years, eleven freaking years of friendship is how long it took me to find out what a heartless little skank you really are.'

'Marissa,' Summer choked out through sobs. 'Coop, I-'

'Save it Summer, I don't wanna hear it. In fact, I don't wanna hear from you ever again.'

'Okay stop,' Sandy cut in firmly before anything else could be said. 'Obviously there are some issues here that need to be addressed but can we not do it now please. Seth needs us all to be there for him, not fighting with each other.'

'Well she is not staying,' Ryan said firmly as he pointed to a sobbing Summer. 'She should never be allowed anywhere near him ever again, this is all her fault after all.'

'No Ryan she's staying,' Sandy replied in a "that's final" tone. 'I don't care what she's done, Seth cares about her and needs her here and it's obvious that she cares about him too.'

'Sandy,' Ryan said desperately, 'trust me, the last thing Seth will want is to see her when he wakes up. What she did tonight is unforgivable. Seth may be your son but he's my brother too and I know what he would want. I've never asked you for anything but I'm asking you to trust me on this one.' Sandy's eyebrows furrowed as if he was deeply torn between what to do. He let out a deep sigh before turning to Summer.

'I'm sorry Summer but I trust Ryan, maybe it would be a good idea if you left.'

'No Sandy please,' Summer replied pleadingly, tears pouring down her face, 'please don't do this. I need to be here with him, I love him.'

'I'm sorry Summer but I've made up my mind, I would like you to leave.' She just stared at him blankly for a few seconds before running over to Seth and wrapping her arms around his lifeless body tightly.

'Cohen please wake up, I love you so much. Please don't die, I can't live without you,' she sobbed frantically in his ear, pressing her tearstained face against his. She felt a strong pair of arms snake around her waist and begin to pull her away from him.

'NO! RYAN, SANDY, KIRSTEN, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. I NEED TO BE HERE, I LOVE HIM. PLEASE!! COOP, HELP ME,' she screamed as Ryan dragged her towards the door, constantly squirming and struggling to free herself from his grip. She accidentally elbowed him in the nose, causing him to get even angrier and drag her away more forcefully. When he reached the door, he threw her out with force, causing her to hit the other side of the corridor wall hard.

'And don't come back bitch,' his said coldly with a hateful glare. 'None of us, including Seth, ever want to see you again.' With that he slammed the door and locked it, leaving her sobbing hysterically against the wall.

'NO! PLEASE LET ME IN,' she screamed as she began to pound on the door with her fists. 'PLEASE, I LOVE HIM, I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HIM. HE NEEDS TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, PLEASE,' she sobbed hysterically, slamming her fists repeatedly against the door. Eventually she just gave up and slid down the door, burying her face deep in her knees and releasing muffled cries. 'Cohen,' she whimpered in between hiccups and strangled sobs. 'Please don't die Cohen, I love you, I love you, I love you.'

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Seth woke up to find that he uhh…………………he couldn't wake up. He could hear, although it was distant and fuzzy, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't open his eyes. He tried to move his arms, he couldn't. His legs and head and every part of his body for that matter were pretty much the same.

'_What the hell is going on? Is this heaven. If so, it's awfully dark. Maybe it's hell. No, it may even be purgatory. Whatever the hell is going on, I really don't like it. Firstly I haven't got anyone to talk to and secondly, Summer isn't here. Although if she was here she'd only be doing everything in her power to show me how much she hates me. The last thing I remember is her encouraging that moron to beat the shit outta me. Umm, then I went to the beach. I had a drink and uhh………………oh yeah, I may have had a few antidepressants, just to get my mind off her.'_

He tried with all his might to move or open his eyes again but he just couldn't do it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to wake up though. He knew if he did he'd have to face Summer after she'd ripped his heart out and torn it to shreds, and he wasn't sure if he could handle seeing her being all happy with that asshole after what she'd done. Seth had always believed deep down that they'd work out their problems and get back together. Well not anymore, not after tonight's events.

'_Why did she have to do it? If she wanted to crush my heart she could've just told me that there was absolutely no chance of her ever forgiving me but to do what she did, it was just………………it was __**mean**__. Okay so maybe that was a bit of a lame description but the point is that even if I was the one that had been betrayed by her, I wouldn't have gone all out to try and break her heart. The worst thing about it all is that I still love her, even after what she's done. Well no more, as soon as I can open my stupid eyes I'm gonna go find Casey and give her what she wants. I'm obviously never gonna get Summer back so I might as well settle for Casey. She's cool, she's very easy on the eyes and I bet she rocks in the sack. Well as soon as I wake up, if I wake up that is, I'm gonna find out. It's the only way I'll ever get over Summer.'_

Seth tried to wake up again. He was really starting to get bored with the lack of interaction. Sure he'd spent ten years before Ryan showed up talking to Captain Oats, and considering he was a plastic horse who didn't talk back, he was basically talking to himself. But there was something about this limbo he was stuck in that he didn't like, it was dark and scary and after almost a year of having friends, he was being reminded all too clearly that being alone sucks.

Yes when he'd taken the pills he'd wanted an escape, but he hadn't wanted to kill himself or put himself in the state he was in. He'd just been feeling depressed and the pills were antidepressants so bingo, problem solved. It was only now when he was a prisoner inside his own body that he realized that maybe he'd taken a few too many, and it definitely hadn't been a good idea to wash them down with vodka. But he hadn't been thinking straight at the time, he'd been in to much emotional pain to think about the consequences.

Seth started to hear a voice but it was distant. He focused all his energy on listening. He realized it was his mother and his heart broke when he heard what she was saying. He could only catch the odd phrase but it was obvious that she was sobbing. 'Seth sweetie……………...can't die. I lov…………..my baby…………….you so much. Why Seth……………something I did………………thought you were happy………………should've told us.'

'_Don't worry mom, I love you too and I'll wake up, I promise. Please don't cry because it makes me want to cry and guys aren't supposed to cry because it's lame. And it's definitely not your fault mom, it's not Summer's either even though it's all about her. It's my fault for stupidly clinging to the hope that I'd ever get back together with her. Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, as soon as I wake up I'm gonna move on and forget about her just like she's already moved on and forgot about me.'_

Seth couldn't stand the sound of his mom crying because of him and him not being able to be there to comfort her. He loved her, she was his second favourite girl in the world, soon to become his favourite again like when he was a kid now that he'd promised himself to forget about his current favourite. He knew his life would be just as sucky, if not suckier than it had been, from the minute he woke up, but if ever there was a reason to wake up it was her. She was strict, she was a workaholic but Seth knew that none of that mattered to her compared to him, her world completely revolved around him, and Ryan now that he was her son too. He couldn't let her down, he had to wake up for her sake. His mom was hurting because of him and he could do nothing about it. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Seth heard another voice in scattered phrases.

'Cohen………………please don't…………………without you.' It was distant, it was barely audible but he had no doubt as to who the voice belonged to, no one else called him Cohen after all. It was Summer, his Summer, well not his anymore but the one he still loved and would always love. He wasn't entirely sure but he thought she sounded desperate, frantic even. 'no………………please don't………………need to………………please……………help me.' This time her tone of voice was clear as day to him. She was begging, pleading for something. He had no idea what but it sounded like she was upset and he couldn't stand to hear it and be able to do absolute shit about it. Even after everything she'd done he couldn't help but love her. It sounded like she needed him to wake up and even though his mother had been incentive enough, this only made him even more determined.

'_Don't worry Summer, I'm waking up. Hang on, whatever you need I'm there for you. Come on Seth dammit, open your fucking eyes. She needs me, she actually wants me to wake up. Maybe she feels guilty about what she did and has come to ask for my forgiveness, or maybe even to take her back. Hang on a minute, in the small chance that she actually wants me to, can I take her back after what she's done? What am I talking about, of course I'll fucking take her back, I love her. I know I'm jumping conclusions, considering how cold she's been to me recently she probably wants me to wake up so she can call me an asshole and make out with Tyrone in front of me. But I don't care, she needs me to wake up and dammit, I'm gonna do it.'_

Seth tried and tried and tried. He was desperate, his love needed him awake and despite how much she'd hurt him, he still wanted nothing more than to give her everything she ever wanted. He thought about everything he'd been through with her since he'd got the shit kicked outta him to save her from being raped eight months ago. He thought about the comic she'd given him as a present for saving her. He thought about watching Spiderman and painting her bedroom with her. He thought about their first amazing sex marathon. He thought about their first fight, their first Christmas, their first time together in public in Mexico. He thought about it all and it made him more determined to wake up than he'd ever been about doing anything in his entire life.

Slowly, Seth felt his fingers begin to twitch. The twitching moved down to his toes and after a few more minutes of trying as hard as he could, he managed to open one eye a quarter of the way open. All he could see was a blinding light but slowly the room came into focus. He could see four blurry figures huddled together in the corner obviously discussing something. He tried to call out to them, well to call out to the one he wanted to see the most.

'S-Summer'

It came out as a barely audible whisper but it seemed they had heard as they all rushed to his bedside. A face hovered over him and it slowly came into focus, it was his mother with tears streaming down her face. 'Come on sweetie that's it, wake up,' he heard her saying but it still sounded distant. 'Somebody get a doctor, he's waking up,' he heard her add. Although he was happy to see his mom and was happy to see her smiling, she wasn't the person he wanted to see the most. He called out for that person again.

'Summer'

'No sweetie, Summer's not here,' Kirsten replied in a soothing voice. Seth closed his eyes as he felt his heart break all over again. So, it had all been a dream. He hadn't heard her crying out to him, begging for him to wake up. He'd obviously just heard what he wanted to hear. As he laid there with his eyes closed and his mother stroking his hair and crying tears of joy beside him, he thought about where she really was. Knowing the new her, she was probably getting wasted or hooking up with Tyrone. Little did he know that he was half right.

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Summer stumbled through her house with a bottle of gin in hand. She'd stolen it from her dad's liquor cabinet shortly after getting back from the hospital, where she'd had to be dragged off the premises kicking and screaming by security. She was guzzling it straight from the large glass bottle at a colossal rate with tears constantly streaming down her face.

She staggered into her room and was instantly met by an excited Chrissie, who was wagging her tail violently. 'Fuck off you stupid dog,' Summer mumbled but the dog ignored her, starting to jump up and yap. 'I SAID FUCK OFF!' she screamed, aiming a wild kick at the dog. However, she was so drunk that she missed by quite a bit and lost her balance, falling painfully on her ass. She burst into hysterical drunken laughter, but it slowly changed into huge, despairing sobs complete with violent shaking.

She crawled over to her walk-in closet, she couldn't even muster the energy or the necessary balance skills to stand. She rummaged through mountains of shoe boxes until she found what she was looking for, the box that contained her life. She opened it and tipped everything out. Hundreds of pictures scattered all over the place, her lap and the floor. There were several items of clothing, they all still smelled like him and it made her sob hysterically. She pulled out the little locket with their initials on that he had bought her for Christmas. She fastened it round her neck, promising herself that from that moment on, no matter what happened she'd always keep it with her.

Summer looked thorough the pictures and all they did was make it more obvious what she'd lost, her prince charming, her knight in shining armour. He'd saved her from becoming just another alcoholic newpsie, whose sole purpose in life was to create an heir who could take over the family business. He'd taught her to believe in herself, to believe that she was smart and could do anything she wanted. But most of all he'd taught her how to open her heart to someone and let them see every little inch of her true personality. He'd taught her how to love and depend on someone, to need to be with someone every second of the day, to need them to survive.

She knew the Cohen family was protective and trusting of their own and if Ryan had convinced Sandy that she shouldn't be able to see him, then she wasn't gonna see him. It didn't matter if he lived or died, she'd never see him again. She'd never be able to tell him that he was the one, and her heart broke because of it. All she wanted to do was whisper repeatedly in his ear that she loved him, to rub her fingers across his chest, to bury her face in his neck and inhale his heavenly scent, to ride into ecstasy on top of him. She missed everything. She missed the sex, she missed his bad morning smell, she missed their bickering and verbal foreplay sessions, hell she even missed his constant rambling and whining that drove her so insane.

Knowing that she'd never experience any of those things again, whether he survived or not was irrelevant, made Summer want to die. She picked up a picture of him laid on his bed, grinning up at her. There was no special pose, he was just lazily lounging on his bed with a happy smile on his face, it just oozed typical Seth Cohen. Seeing that she'd probably never see him again, Summer decided to say everything she needed to say to his picture.

'Cohen, I know I've made some mistakes,' she drunkenly mumbled, 'but please don't hate me. I hate myself so much right now that there's really no need for you to hate me. I just want to hold you right now, to kiss you, to fuck you,' she said with a drunken giggle, 'but most of all I just want to tell you that you are my world. I officially live in Seth Cohen world, where every thought is about you, every emotion is about you, every bit of love I have to give is for you. So even if I never see you again, I just want you to be happy, to find someone to whom you can give the kind of love that I have for you. Forget me Cohen, I'm not worthy of your thoughts. Just be happy and remember, I'll always love you.'

With that, Summer curled up into a fetal position, picture in one hand and bottle of gin in the other, laid on a mattress of amazing memories, and sobbed herself to sleep.

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**A/N – I don't really like this chapter but please leave a review telling me what you think. Same again, I want plenty of reviews before I start writing the next chapter. Thanks.**


	31. When it rains, it pours

**A/N – Another twenty reviews, thank you very much people. So this story is drawing to a close. As I have things planned, this is the penultimate chapter. I'm thinking of writing a sequel though so let me know if you think I should and whether or not you will read and review if I do. Anyways, on with the story, please leave a review. Cheers.**

**WARNING – Sexual content in this one.**

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'For the last time, I didn't try to kill myself.'

'Well I'm sorry son but we just don't trust you. Forgive me for being cynical, but washing a load of pills down with alcohol seems awfully like an attempted suicide to me.'

'Dad I wasn't thinking straight. I wasn't thinking about killing myself though, It had just been a crappy day and I wanted to escape for a couple of hours. I hadn't been sleeping very well and just wanted to knock myself out for a few hours, wake up feeling refreshed.

'Well do you feel refreshed,' Sandy replied snidely.

'Not really, I feel kinda stupid and embarrassed. That's why I'm never gonna do it again.'

'Well it's too late, you've already done it once so we need to know why you did it so you don't do it again. Was it about Summer?'

'NO, YES, I mean, I don't know,' Seth replied with an exasperated sigh. 'everything's just so messed up right now.'

'Exactly, that's why you need to see someone about this sweetie.'

'NO MOM,' Seth replied angrily, 'I do not need some guy with a psychology degree on his wall telling me why I did it and how I should be feeling about it. I already know all that stuff. I did it because I was having a shitty ass day and I feel really stupid about it so there's really no need for me to see a therapist.'

'This is not an option son,' Sandy said firmly, 'you are going to see someone, end of.'

'Fine,' Seth said angrily before turning and walking out the kitchen, up towards his room. It was Monday, two days after the whole pills and vodka ordeal, and a dark cloud had formed over the Cohen household, both literally and metaphorically. Even though he had woken up Saturday night only a few hours after taking the pills and had shown no negative reactions, there was still a severely depressed mood around the house. Add the fact that it was absolutely pouring it down outside to that, it made for one miserable atmosphere about the place.

On top of that, Seth was pretty sure that his parents were never gonna let him out of their sight again. The way they were going on about how they couldn't trust him anymore, he wouldn't be surprised if they stuck him on a leash. Also, the fact that neither Summer nor Casey had come to see him was only succeeding in making him even more depressed. He'd asked Ryan if Summer had shown up at the hospital because he was sure he'd heard her in his coma thingy, but Ryan told him she hadn't. He'd then asked if she even knew that he'd been in the hospital and Ryan said that Kirsten had called her, but she'd just said that she didn't care and had hung up. This made Seth's heart break again, it seemed that was the only thing that ever happened nowadays when it came to her.

Seth collapsed on his bed, grumbling furiously about his stupid parents. They were way overreacting, he didn't need to go to therapy just because of one moment of madness. They were treating him like he was crazy and felt the need to keep and eye on him night and day, it was like they'd put him on suicide watch. They'd even both taken the first three days of the week off work, something they never did, just to make sure he didn't do anything. As if it wasn't bad enough that Ryan and Marissa were constantly hanging out with him as a cover up to keep a close eye on him, he now had to put up with his parents. Usually he was all up for family time with board games but they always refused, but now when they thought he was suicidal they were all about the monopoly.

As if it wasn't bad enough that they were making him go to therapy, they were also talking about taking him out of Harbor and home schooling him, even suggesting that they move away and make a fresh start. Seth knew that he had nothing to stay in either Harbor or Newport for, but he was still vehemently opposed to both ideas. There was something that made him want to stay in Newport and although he was determined to deny it, he knew exactly what it was.

So what if she hated him. So what if she knew he'd nearly died and hadn't even bothered to come and visit him in the hospital. So what if he was never gonna be with her again. Whenever he got anywhere near her, his pulse still sped up and his stomach started doing somersaults. Seth loved that feeling, the feeling that his life was complete just because of her presence, and he wasn't willing to give up that feeling just because he'd been an idiot.

Even after she'd known he was close to death and she hadn't visited him, he still loved her. Even after she'd embarrassed, rejected and destroyed him, he would still take her back with open arms, such was his love for her. His forget about her plan wasn't going so well because a) he hadn't seen Casey so he could fuck her and b) truthfully he didn't really want to forget her. He wanted to remember the good memories, the perfect four months before the last God awful two months. Maybe if he embraced the fact that she had made him blissfully happy for a little while but they just weren't meant to be together, he'd be able to move on with his life and find the one he was truly meant to be with.

'Right, we're going out.' Seth's thoughts were interrupted by his father walking into his room. 'There's no one else here so we're really going out of our way to trust you here, don't let us down by doing anything stupid.' Seth rolled his eyes.

'Jesus dad I'm seventeen, I think I can look after myself. You've left me alone plenty of times before remember.'

'Yeah well that was before you tried to kill yourself.'

'For the last time I didn't……………...just go dad will you, just go,' Seth said with a sigh.

'Okay. Bye kiddo, I love you.'

'Love you too dad,' Seth mumbled as his dad shut his door, leaving him just as he had been at the same time a year ago, alone in his bedroom with no one but the captain for company. He decided to take a shower, hoping it would wash away his misery over the calamity that was his life. He knew it wouldn't but he had nothing better to do.

After fifteen minutes of hanging his head miserably under the water, Seth got out and wrapped a towel round his waist. Humming Deathcab like he used to in the pre-Ryan/Summer days when he was lonely, he walked into his bedroom and was instantly hit by the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.

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Summer was crouched in the bushes, dripping from head to toe. It was very stalkerish of her, very Alfred Hitchcock movie-esque, but it was the only way she was ever gonna get to see him. She had woken up on the floor of her walk-in closet yesterday morning with a raging hangover, to find a message from Kirsten on her cell saying Seth had woken up and he seemed to be okay. She also said that Ryan had told her what she'd done and even though she was very angry at first, she had forgiven her. So had Sandy, but Ryan and Marissa were a different story and Seth was reluctant to share his feelings on the matter. She also said that it would probably be a good idea to give Seth and the rest of the family a bit of space before she came to see them.

Having heard that, Summer had realized that it wasn't an option. Whenever Summer Roberts wanted something she always got it, and she really wanted, no NEEDED to see Seth, so she was gonna do it regardless of whether the Cohen's wanted her to or not. She had never been one to just give up and she sure as hell wasn't gonna start now when it mattered the most.

She had been into school that morning and just as she suspected, everyone had heard about her little outburst and everyone found it absolutely hilarious. Whenever she got anywhere near her supposed "friends", they would all giggle at her and make snide remarks such as "where's Cohen Summer?" and "look, there's another geek you can fall in love with". Summer was surprised to find that she didn't care. She just smiled sweetly and nodded, obviously not the reaction they were hoping for as they stopped pretty quick, clearly bored with dishing out humiliation and not getting any tears in return.

Summer didn't even care that she'd gone from being the queen of the school to the laughing stock of the school in the space of a weekend, all she cared about was seeing Seth. When she couldn't take waiting for school to finish any longer, she just walked out in the middle of maths. The teacher had asked where she was going she'd just said, 'to tell the guy of my dreams that I love him'. This had prompted a loud chorus of laughter from the rest of the class but Summer didn't care. She just rolled her eyes and smirked before walking off.

Now here she was, hidden in the Cohen's bushes getting totally soaked, waiting for the opportunity to do what she'd said she would. She saw Sandy and Kirsten come out the front door and make a dash for their car, trying to avoid getting drenched as best they could. Summer saw it as her chance, she didn't know how long they'd be gone but she did know he was in that house alone and it was the perfect opportunity to tell him exactly how she felt without any distractions. She waited until the car had sped off before climbing out the shrubs. She peeked down the driveway just to make sure they were definitely gone, they were.

Summer walked over to the front door and quietly slipped herself inside. She didn't bother ringing the bell because she thought that he'd probably open the door, see who it was and slam it right in her face like she had done to him over two months ago. She climbed the stairs silently, not wanting to him to hear her and think she was a burglar. She knew he was a pansy and that if he thought they were being robbed, instead of trying to defend his house, he'd just hide under his bed until he thought it was over. She burst through his door, ready to tell him everything, to pour her heart out to him, to get down on her hands and knees and beg like he had if that was what it took.

'Cohen,' she panted breathlessly as she walked in, dripping from head to toe. She frowned though, when she saw that he wasn't on his bed reading comics or talking to Captain Oats as she suspected he would be. She looked around confusedly for a few seconds, wondering where he was. She walked over and stuck her head out his door, listening for any noise throughout the house. When she stepped back in the room, she heard the shower turn on, he must've just got in. Summer sighed, she was itching to get it over and done with. Regardless of whether he was gonna take her back, she just wanted it all out in the open so they could move on, together or not.

She wandered around his room for a few minutes, noticing that all the drawings of her were still hung all over the place. It was obvious that it hadn't been as easy for him to rip down all the memories and hide them in his closet as it had been for her. She walked over to his nightstand and picked up Captain Oats.

'Don't worry Captain, if everything goes to plan you'll be seeing Princess Sparkle again pretty soon. And if not, you can always come and visit. I hope that even if we don't work out, we can still at least be friends or something.' It was a habit that she'd picked up off him, talking to plastic horses. At first she had thought it was lame but now she realized that it really was a good way to vent her thoughts and feelings. She jumped and turned round when she heard the bathroom door creak open. Summer was ready, it was now or never.

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'What the hell are you doing here?'

'I umm……………I uhh, I……………what?' Summer couldn't form a coherent sentence due to the fact that he was stood there with nothing but a towel wrapped round him, water dripping from his body.

'God Summer have you been stood out in the rain, you're shivering. Here, dry yourself off before you catch pneumonia.' He whipped the towel off and threw it to her. Summer didn't even realize he'd thrown the towel, it just hit her body and dropped to the floor. She couldn't take her eyes off his completely naked form. She felt herself getting wet just looking at him and heat was rising to her face rapidly. 'What, it's not like you haven't seen it before,' Seth said with an amused smirk when he saw her gawping at him.

'Oh, yeah, umm, sorry,' she mumbled embarrassedly, averting her eyes from him, picking up the towel and beginning to dry her hair off. After two months of not seeing him like that, he was more appealing to her than ever. She wanted nothing more than for him to just take her right there and then.

'Anyways back to the matter at hand, what the hell are you doing here?' he said harshly as he pulled on some boxers and jeans.

'I just wanted to see how you were doing,' she whispered, looking down at the floor.

'Ha, that's bullshit,' Seth replied with a cold laugh, 'if you wanted to see how I was doing you would've come and seen me in the hospital.'

'What are you talking about,' she replied confusedly, 'I did see you in the hospital, I was the one that found you and took you in.'

'WHAT? But Ryan told me that my mom phoned you and told you I was in hospital, and you just said you didn't care and hung up. Why the hell would he do that?'

'Because I'm not exactly his favourite person at the moment. I'm not anyone's favourite person at the moment, including myself. He obviously wanted you to think that I don't care about you, even though I do.'

'Doing one good thing for me after everything you've done in the last two months doesn't mean you care, it just means you feel guilty or something.'

'You're right I do feel guilty, but to say I don't care about you is ridiculous. You know how I feel about you.'

'Oh yeah, I know exactly how you feel about me, you made it perfectly clear with the way you've repeatedly humiliated me and broke my heart over the last two months.'

'Seth it's not like that,' Summer said desperately. 'I know I've been a complete bitch but could you please give me a chance to explain.' Seth scoffed at her words.

'What, like you gave me a chance to explain two months ago when I was the one that had been the idiot.' He said sarcastically. 'I'm sorry Summer but I really don't wanna hear it.'

'Please Seth,' Summer whispered, eyes filling up with tears, 'you're not being fair.'

'Wow, this conversation seems awfully familiar. In fact, I think this is the exact same conversation we had in the club two months ago except I was playing your part and vice versa. It's not nice is it, to be shunned without being able to give your side of the story, now get out.' Seth didn't know why he was being so horrible. He'd always thought that if she came to see him, he'd give her a chance to talk. But now that she was there, he felt nothing but anger.

'Cohen I'm so sorry,' Summer whimpered miserably, the first tears beginning to fall. 'I know now that you didn't cheat on me, I know that you were only hanging out with her so she didn't think you were an asshole. I realize now that I should've given you a chance to tell me that.'

'Damn right you should but it doesn't matter now so will you please just leave,' Seth said angrily.

'No, I'm not going anywhere until you let me talk,' she replied firmly.

Fine, stay, but I'm not listening,' Seth said irritably before flopping down on his bed, pulling out his sketchbook and beginning to draw in silence. Summer perched herself on the edge of the bed, sniffling heavily and occasionally releasing a strangled sob. After five minutes, Seth couldn't take it anymore and snapped.

'WILL YOU JUST GO AWAY, I DON'T WANT YOU HERE,' he shouted furiously.

'NO, I'm not leaving until you listen,' Summer replied determinedly, not ripping her tearstained eyes away from his angry ones. 'Seth, just let me talk,' she whispered pleadingly, 'I don't understand why you're being like this, why are you doing this?'

'Why am I doing this' Seth said, mouth hanging open in disbelief. 'You think you can just make me utterly miserable for two fucking months, then just walk in here and expect to be given a chance to explain yourself,' he spat venomously. 'You actually have the nerve to ask me why I'm doing this. FUCK OFF, JUST GET OUT SUMMER!' he shouted, his rage getting the best of him.

'NO COHEN,' she sobbed loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

'WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?' he roared.

'BECAUSE I LOVE YOU,' Summer screamed in reply. A deadly silence filled the room. Seth just sat there open-mouthed, not believing what he'd just heard.

'What?' he finally whispered after about two minutes.

'You heard me,' she sobbed, 'I've tried to fight it, I've tried to make these feelings go away, but after everything that's gone on I can't deny it anymore, I don't want to deny it anymore. I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love someone Seth. I think about you every second of every day, my world revolves around you. Although I've been putting on a happy face, these last two months have easily been the worst of my life. I've spent every night crying myself to sleep over the fact that I'd lost the guy I loved and wanted to be with forever. This visit isn't even about winning you back though, although that's what I want more than anything. It's about letting you know how I feel and now you know, so I'd appreciate it if you could tell me how you feel.' She bit her lip nervously, tears still pouring down her face.

'I-I……………I don't know how I feel,' Seth stuttered, obviously completely overwhelmed by the new information. 'This is so not a good time to tell me all this Summer. My parents think I'm crazy and are putting me into therapy. They're pulling me out of Harbor as well, possibly even moving us somewhere else for a fresh start.' Summer felt her heart snap in two at his words. Her Cohen was being taken away from her, she'd probably never see him again. 'I'm sorry Summer but I really can't deal with this right now, I've got far too much on my plate. I'd like you to leave.' Summer nodded weakly and looked down to prevent him from seeing the look of utter despair and heartbreak on her face.

'If that's really what you want,' she whispered, 'but in case I never see you again Cohen just remember, I love you. I have done for a long time and I'm pretty sure I always will.' She took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze before jumping off his bed and running out his room sobbing.

Seth put his head back on his pillow and let the tears begin to fall. She'd just said the one thing he'd always dreamt of hearing and the one thing he'd wanted to say to her since like the sixth grade. Now when he had the chance, he'd blown it. He didn't know what had come over him, he'd wanted so badly to repeat everything she'd said, to tell her that he loved her more than life itself and wanted to be with her forever too. But when the time had come to say it, he'd choked. He'd thought about all the things she'd done over the last two months and his brain just wouldn't let the words come.

Suddenly, realization washed over Seth. He was such an idiot. So what if his brain had been telling him to make her leave, who the fuck listens to their brain in times like this. You listen to your heart for matters involving love and Seth's heart was screaming three words at him loud and clear. "GO AFTER HER!!". This was his second chance, the second chance he'd begged and prayed to God for a gazillion times over the past two months. Knowing what he wanted and that this was the golden chance to get it, Seth launched himself off his bed and out the bedroom door. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

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Summer stumbled down the Cohen driveway, unable to walk in a straight line. Her legs wouldn't work properly, it was like she was drunk. She wasn't yet but she was certainly planning on it as soon as she got home. She was blinded by the tears pouring from her eyes. The rain was lashing down on her and she was already completely soaked after moving only ten yards. She stumbled to the bottom of the driveway, leant back against the pillar of the entrance gate and cried like she'd never cried before. She knew she deserved it. She knew it must've been how he felt when she'd slammed the door in his face all those weeks ago. She slid down the pillar and buried her face in her knees, not caring that the hundreds of dollars worth of clothes she was wearing were getting totally ruined. Nothing mattered anymore, her chance of happiness was officially gone.

'Summer.'

She looked up at her name being called. Seth was standing over her in nothing but the jeans and socks he had put on when he'd got out the shower. He reached out both his hands. She took his offering and he pulled her up. To Summer's surprise, he pulled her close to him. She looked into his eyes and noticed that something had changed. His eyes were dark and his face was set in almost a glare, except it wasn't. He had tears pouring down his face too. She couldn't place his look, if anything she'd say it was smouldering, passionate, he definitely had a look of fire in his eyes.

Without giving her any warning, Seth crashed his lips against hers. Summer's world changed the second his lips touched hers and she closed her eyes. Gone was the rain, the cold, the heartbreak. It was replaced by warmth and happiness and love. She felt like she was soaring above the clouds, like she was invincible, like she'd never feel pain again. Their tears mingled with the rain and slid down onto their lips, causing an amazing concoction of intense emotions to flow through both their bodies. When she felt him pull away, she opened her eyes and was instantly brought back to reality, a reality which was cold and grey and lonely.

'I'm sorry,' Seth whispered, twisting his finger through hers.

'I know Seth,' Summer replied with a sigh, 'I get it and I deserve it. Thanks for the goodbye kiss, I'll never forget it.' She turned away, the tears beginning to fall again. She stopped when she felt a firm grip on her forearm. He spun her round to face him and crashed his lips against hers again. Once again, Summer felt like life was perfect and that everything was as it should be. Then he pulled away again and she was back in the real world, the dismal, shitty real world.

'That wasn't a goodbye kiss, it was more of a hello kiss. I meant that I was sorry for being an asshole up there and not saying what my heart was screaming at me to say. I love you too Summer Roberts, I have done for years. You're the only one for me. I wanna be with you now and tomorrow and the day after that and the week after that and the month after that and……………well, I'm rambling as usual but I think you catch my drift,' he said with a grin.

'B-b-but wh……………what about everything I've done,' Summer stuttered, totally dumbfounded, 'I've ruined your life, I nearly cost you your life.'

'It doesn't matter,' he whispered, resting his forehead on hers, 'because I love you and now I know you love me too, that's the only thing that matters.'

'But what about you're parents. They're taking you away, definitely from Harbor, maybe even California.' Summer didn't know why she was fighting it, she just needed to get everything figured out.

'Again, none of it matters, we'll figure it out later. All I know is that I want to be with you forever and nothing is gonna stop me from getting that.'

'I want that too so I guess you're right. This, us, is the only thing that matters.'

'Well, that and one other thing,' Seth said with a cheeky grin.

'What's that?'

'Getting you out of these wet clothes before you catch a cold.' Summer grinned widely at his words and leaned up to kiss him.

'Yeah, we wouldn't want that would we,' she replied when they parted. That was all it took for Seth to pick her up. She shrieked happily and began placing small kisses on his bare chest as he ran towards the house with her in his arms. The rain was still lashing down on them but neither of them cared anymore. When Seth got there, he kicked the door shut and put her down. She immediately attacked him with her lips. He flipped her round and pressed her into the door.

'Summer, it was always you,' he mumbled between placing kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. 'I know I made a mistake, talking to her without telling you but I swear, that was all there ever was to it. I love you so much, I'm sorry I hurt you.'

'I know,' Summer whispered with a smile as she ran her fingers through his soaking curls, 'I love you too and I'm sorry I hurt you.'

'We've both been so stupid, we lost two months of this because we were too stubborn to tell each other how we felt.'

'Well like you said, none of that matters now. This is the most important thing in the world.' Seth pulled back and gave her the smile that made her go weak at the knees before grabbing her hand and dragging her upstairs. When they got to his room, Seth gently lowered her down on the bed and hovered over her before moving in for another kiss.

'You're so beautiful, not a minute in the last two moths has gone by when I haven't ached to do this,' he whispered lovingly as he pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her in a wet bra that left nothing to the imagination.

'I've always wanted this too, I love you Cohen and I'm never gonna let you doubt that for a second.'

'I won't, as long as you don't doubt that I love you.'

'I won't. Our problem, well my problem more specifically, was trust. I trust you now though, because I want this and if we're ever gonna work this time, trust is vital.'

'I promise I'm never gonna break that trust again. Its complete honesty from here on out, I'll let you know everything,' Seth mumbled in between kisses.

'And I'll do the same for you Cohen. As long as we're always open and honest we'll be fine, more than fine,' Summer whispered into his curls as he continued to plant small kisses on her chest area. 'Anyway, enough talking Cohen, we've got our whole lives ahead of us to just talk. I need you to make love to me, now,' she whispered desperately. Seth looked up and grinned at her.

'You have no idea how many times I've dreamt of you saying that in the last two months.'

'I can because I've dreamt about it just as much.' Seth leaned in and kissed her again. It was slow, it was meaningful, it was perfect. There was so much raw emotion and love expressed by it that Summer felt herself tearing up. Seth obviously noticed as he pulled back.

'Are you okay,' he asked worriedly. Summer nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat.

'Yeah I just, I……………I love you so much, and I missed you.'

'Ditto,' he replied with a loving smile. He got off her and they both started to undress, never once breaking their fiery eye contact. They both stripped down quickly until they were both in nothing but their underwear. Seth took in the marvellous sight before him. Sure Casey was hot but she was absolutely nothing compared to Summer in his eyes. He crawled onto the bed and hovered above her again. Her hands snaked down to the waistband of his boxers and began to remove them. She arched her back and he moved a hand round her and unclipped her bra. Summer wriggled out of her lace panties, desperate to feel him inside her as soon as possible. After two months of nothing sexual worth mentioning, she was aching to have her mind blown by him. He'd always had the ability to take her to levels of pleasure she didn't think existed.

She leant up to give him another passionate kiss and as she did, she rolled them over and straddled him. she leant down and began licking and sucking on his neck. He moaned with his eyes shut and blindly felt through the top draw of his nightstand for his box of condoms. When he found it he pulled one out, Summer took it from him and ripped open the packaging. She sheathed it on him, positioned herself above him and slowly lowered herself onto him. She moaned loudly, nothing had ever felt so good, so right.

Summer began to slowly raise and lower herself on top of him, breathing heavily and letting out small gasps as she looked down at him, never once breaking eye contact. She was already soaking wet from the storm outside but she felt sweat begin to form all over her body and mingle with the rain water. They gradually got more into it, increasing the speed and intensity. It was more amazing than it had ever been because they were closer this time, not physically but emotionally. They had finally said what they'd been dying to say for months, and this time was somehow different. It was like their first time again, it was the first time of the rest of their lives, a life that they were both planning on spending together.

After a while, Seth knew Summer was getting close. She was panting and gasping loudly and was unable to maintain eye contact anymore. She had her eyes closed and her fingers with strongly intertwined with his. Seth sat up and pushed his body against hers. She slowly opened her eyes and gave him a dreamy smile. It was a smile that was filled with so much pleasure but so much love too. Seth returned the smile with equal ecstasy and adoration. She curled her arms round his neck and leant in for a kiss as she continued to rock up and down on top of him. 'I love you,' she whispered when they parted and she rested her sweaty forehead on his. Before he had the chance to say it back, she said it again, and again, and again. Every time she crashed down onto him she whispered it, and Seth had never seen or heard anything so beautiful in his life.

She continued to say it. Now she'd finally said it, it was like a floodgate had opened, and she felt she had quite a few month's worth of not saying it to make up for. She got louder and louder the closer she got until eventually she was screaming it at the top of her lungs. She didn't care though, she wanted everyone to know that her heart belonged to Seth Cohen and if any asshole tried to come between them, it'd be the last thing they ever did. Summer buried her face in his shoulder as the end neared. With one final push against him, her walls came tumbling down. She was exposed for him to see her completely, and there wasn't anyone she'd rather show herself to.

It's an age old cliché that your whole life flashes before your eyes when you die. Well Summer felt about ready to die of pleasure and instead of seeing her past, she saw her future, or at least the future she wanted. She saw herself in a gorgeous bridal gown, walking down the isle towards Seth. She saw herself unpacking boxes in a house, with Seth. She saw herself sleeping peacefully with Seth laid next to her, rubbing his fingers across the small bump forming on her stomach. She saw herself sat in a hospital bed with a beautiful brown-eyed baby in her arms, Seth sat beside her with a proud smile on his face. She didn't know where the future would take her but she figured that as long as she had Seth, it would be perfect.

Summer knew Seth had come too, as he was letting out the small groans he always did. She pulled her head out his shoulder and gazed deeply into his eyes. 'I love you,' she whispered weakly again with as much emotion as she could muster, running her fingers through the wet curls on the back of his head.

'Yeah I heard that,' he replied with a grin. Summer smiled at him and buried her face in his shoulder again.

'Let's never be apart again okay,' she mumbled into him.

'I wouldn't have it any other way Summer. This time its for real, we're gonna last forever.'

'I wouldn't have it any other way either Cohen,' she muttered with a happy sigh. They continued to hold each other in blissful silence for a few minutes until they were interrupted by someone clapping at the doorway.

'Bravo, great show.'

Seth closed his eyes, hoping this wasn't really happening. He opened his eyes again and she was still there. It was happening, there was no way out of this one.

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Summer rocketed off Seth the second she heard the voice. She wrapped his bedsheets around herself tightly, making sure no part of her was visible. 'How long have you been here,' she mumbled guiltily. Sure she really didn't like her but one look at her face was enough to realize that she was seriously upset.

'Oh just long enough to see him rock your world and to hear you telling him you love him. In fact, I'm pretty sure the whole neighbourhood heard it,' Casey replied with a weird smile, tears pouring down her face. 'So its true what everyone's saying at school then, you are in love with him.' Summer looked down and nodded while Seth's nearly snapped his neck as he whipped his head round to face her so fast.

'You told people at school,' he said disbelievingly. Summer nodded shyly.

'I don't care who knows anymore. In fact, I want everyone to know.' Seth smiled widely at her words and leant in for a kiss. He was cut off by a small cough from the doorway.

'I'm still here asshole,' Casey said coldly. Seth sighed.

'I'm so sorry Casey. I……………I jus-'

'Save it. I can't say I'm surprised, I knew this would happen eventually. The way you two look at each other I could tell you were both head over heels in love.'

'I didn't mean to hurt you Casey.'

'No, you just meant to use me,' she replied with a harsh laugh.

'Just like you used him then,' Summer chimed in. Casey smiled at her.

'Yes, I admit at first I just tried to get with him to hurt you. Then we hung out and I started to think he was kinda cool. Then we started dating and somewhere along the line it stopped being about hurting you, that was just a bonus, and it became about being with him.'

'So you mean she was right, you really were just trying to cause trouble for us?' Seth said angrily.

'At first yes but like I said, at some point I actually started to like you. I don't even know why I stayed with you though, I knew you were never gonna start to like me back and it would only end up like this, me in tears.' Summer felt a pang of guilt at her words. She knew exactly what Casey was going through, to fall for Seth Cohen hard and fast and then have him stamp on your heart. It wasn't nice.

'I did like you Casey, you're jus-'

'I'm not her,' Casey cut in. Seth sighed and nodded guiltily. 'Surprisingly, its okay. I just want you to be happy and if she makes you happy then I'm fine with it. Well I'm not fine with it but I'll get over it.' Seth and Summer's mouths both fell open in disbelief.

'I-I, I don't know what to say,' Seth said, obviously completely stunned. 'Thank you Casey.'

'Yeah thanks Casey,' Summer said, just as shocked, 'you're a much better person than I thought you were.'

'Oh it's got fuck all to do with you Roberts,' Casey replied coldly. 'You're the last person I want him to leave me for but there you go. Congratulations, you've done it again, left me humiliated and my reputation in bits.'

'It hasn't been a competition for a long time for me Casey. You can have it all, the friends, the popularity and the guys. Hell, you can even have my car, house and father's money for all I care, all I want is him.' Casey let out a laugh that was obviously forced.

'Well that's ironic because while six months ago, the things you've just offered me were all I ever wanted. Now though, all I want is him too. But that's gonna happen so just promise me you'll treat him well, he's one in a million.' Summer smiled and nodded.

'I know he is and don't worry, he's in good hands.' Casey nodded before turning to Seth.

'Goodbye Seth, be happy.' Seth smiled and nodded.

'I already am. I'm just so sorry you had to get hurt.'

'It's okay. I just wish you could've fucked me though, looks like you really know what you're doing.'

'Ah there she is,' Seth replied with a laugh, 'Casey the school slut that we all know and love.' Casey gave a watery-eyed smirk at his words before giving a small wave and walking out. Seth turned to Summer.

'You never had sex with her,' Summer said happily. Seth shook his head.

'I couldn't'

'Why not?'

'Like I said, it's you and only you Summer. It's the same for sex, love, everything, she's hot but she just wasn't you. I know it's probably not the same for you but-'

'Actually it is,' she cut in shyly, 'it's exactly the same. I couldn't sleep with him, whenever I tried it still felt like I was cheating on you. Plus there's the fact that I didn't really want to because I hate the guy. He's the biggest asshole on the planet and just thinking about having sex with him made me want to hurl.' Seth grinned widely at her words.

'So you mean we still belong to each other so to speak.' Summer smiled and nodded. 'Well I'm beyond happy that things are getting back to normal but I need to know, how far did you go with him?' Seth asked, dreading the answer but needing to know.

'Seth,' she said desperately.

'Come on, you first then me.'

'Okay, umm, third base, and it was horrible,' Summer said sheepishly, ashamed at going that far with a guy she hated.

'Same,' Seth said guiltily, 'though I can't say I hated it too. In the spirit of our new "honest about everything" policy, I have to admit that she gives better blowjobs than you.' Summer slapped him playfully.

'Is that so,' she said with a grin to which he replied with a sweet smile and a nod. 'Well we'll just see have to see about that won't we, you ready for round two?' Seth smirked at her.

'Why so horny girl?'

'Oh I've just been a little sexually frustrated in recent weeks. That was the first proper orgasm I've had since Mexico.' Seth's eyes bulged at her words.

'So you mean h-he-'

'Yep, the stupid asshole doesn't have a clue how to satisfy a girl with his tongue or fingers.' Seth burst into laughter at her words.

'And he has the reputation as the biggest dick and the best fuck in school.' Summer grinned and nodded.

'I think we both know who that really is,' she said with a playful shove. Seth blushed violently and grinned goofily.

'Well I umm, I uhh, I-I, I consider myself okay, probably a high seven or a low eig-'

'Cohen,' Summer said with a smirk as she straddled him.

'Hmmm?'

'Shut up and fuck me.'

'Bossing me around huh?' he said with a grin as he leant up to kiss her. 'Oh yes, things are already getting back to normal, and I love it.'

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**A/N – Whew, that's the longest chapter I've ever wrote. Some parts I like, other parts I don't. so they're finally back together, let me know what you think about that. This took me freaking ages to write so I want plenty of reviews. Last chapter coming up sometime next week (as long as I get plenty of reviews for this one lol)**


	32. All that matters

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews folks. So this is it, I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have writing. I've decided that I am gonna do a sequel, probably when they're in college. I'll probably take a month or so off though, maybe do a couple of one shots, look out for them. Anyways, on with the story, hope you enjoy and please leave a review (for the chapter or the whole story, I don't care as long as you do it lol).**

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Seth awoke to find his face buried deep in the back of someone's neck. He smiled widely, it really hadn't been a dream. It really was her, he could tell by the enticing scent of her expensive perfume. He could tell without opening his eyes that the storm outside had cleared up, as he could feel an orange glow radiating through his window onto his face. He snuggled closer to her, ready to drift off into peaceful slumber again, when he heard a small cough. Seth open one eye and immediately shut it at what he saw. He pushed his face deep into Summer's neck again, hoping that it was just his imagination and that next time he looked up he'd be staring at thin air. He glanced towards the foot of his bed again, it hadn't worked.

'Sorry sweetie but we're still here,' Kirsten said with a sweet smile. Both her and Sandy had weird smirks on their faces, Seth couldn't tell what they were thinking.

'Summer,' he hissed, 'Summer, wake up.'

'mmmmmm, nooooo,' she groaned. 'Come back to bed Cohen, I love you,' she mumbled sleepily, only in a semi-conscious state. Both of his parents grinned widely at her words while Seth's face burnt up with embarrassment. He sharply pinched the skin on her hip, something that definitely succeeded in fully waking her up. 'OW, what the hell was that for assho- oh, umm……………uhh……………uhh, h-hey guys,' she stuttered, going a violent shade of red. The two adults both raised an eyebrow simultaneously as if demanding and explanation.

'Uhh, this uhh, this isn't what it looks like,' Seth stammered.

'Y-yeah, w-what he said,' Summer added. Sandy smirked evilly before bending down and picking something up. He came back into view with an even bigger smirk on his face, holding a ripped condom wrapper between two fingers. Seth groaned while Summer let out an embarrassed whimper and buried her face deep in his shoulder. It was obvious that she just wanted a hole to open up in the ground and swallow her. Judging from the amount of heat radiating from her face, you could fry an egg on it.

'Okay it's exactly what it looks like so go on then, what's my punishment?' Seth said with a sigh.

'Nothing as long as this means you're back together,' Kirsten said with a big smile. Seth nodded to confirm that they were indeed together again. Kirsten let out a loud squeal and clapped her hands together happily. 'And you're gonna talk through your problems this time instead of being stupid and stubborn,' she asked. Both teens nodded in reply. 'Good, we're happy for you so we'll let this one slide but it doesn't happen again got it, at least not in this house.' Both teens nodded sheepishly again. 'Okay, get dressed and come down for some food.' The two parents turned to leave but Summer cut them off.

'Hey guys.'

'Yeah.'

'I'm sorry, for everything. I hurt Seth and that hurt you and I'll never forgive myself for that, I love you guys.' They both smiled warmly.

'Its okay sweetie, we love you too and if he can forgive you then we sure as hell can, it's already forgotten,' Kirsten replied, causing Summer to grin widely.

'Thanks guys,' she whispered, feeling herself getting emotional.

'No problem honey,' Sandy said. 'I suggest you hurry up and get dressed if you want any food though, I'm firing up the grill and you know how grilled steaks are just below bagels on my favourites list.' Summer giggled and nodded. After the two adults had left, Summer turned to Seth and kissed him deeply.

'Good morning lover,' she said playfully when she pulled away.

'Summer, it's evening,' Seth replied amusedly.

'What?'

'Yeah, you only got here about umm, seven hours ago,' he said with a smirk as he looked at his clock, 'it's 8pm. That's the sunset, not the sunrise.'

'Whoa, that's the best six hours sleep I've ever had then. I feel like I've been asleep for days.'

'I wiped you out didn't I?' Seth said with a grin.

'You're not wrong there, I can't move thanks to you asshole,' she whimpered, though it was a very happy whimper instead of a miserable one. 'It's good to know that even after two months of no action, you haven't lost the magic touch.' Seth grinned at her words.

'Well don't worry gorgeous, there's plenty more where that came from.'

'A lifetimes worth?' Summer blurted out, not meaning to but unable to stop herself. To her surprise, Seth smiled and nodded.

'I think so.'

'And that doesn't freak you out,' she asked disbelievingly. He smiled and shook his head. 'Okay, what if I said I was thinking about it all,' she said nervously. 'You know, I'm talking living together, marriage, babies. We don't have to think about it for a long time yet, but it'll always be in the back of my mind. Doesn't that freak you out?'

'Surprisingly, no,' Seth replied with a huge smile, 'because nothing sounds more perfect to me, there's nothing I want more.' Summer broke into a massive smile before straddling him and kissing him passionately.

'I love you Cohen,' she whispered when they parted and she rested her forehead on his.

'I love you too Roberts,' he replied with a big grin as he leant up to kiss her again. 'But we've still got some stuff we need to talk about,' he added when they parted. Summer sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. 'I'll go first. If you were in love with me and you have been for a long time, why didn't you just tell me that?'

'Because even though I wanted you back, even though I spent every second of every day pining for you, I didn't think that I should be the one to initiate the getting back together process when we broke up because of a mistake you made.'

'What the hell woman,' Seth replied angrily, 'I already tried to apologize and get back together, I already begged and grovelled and you just slammed the door in my face and led me to believe that you were fucking that dumb prick.'

'I know Seth and I'm sorry,' she said desperately. 'I realized seconds after I'd closed the door that I'd made a mistake and should've let you talk. But I spent the last two months thinking "he'll come back, he loves me. He'll come to his senses and ask for anther chance and when he does, I'll take him back and tell him I love him and we'll live happily ever after". I had this deluded fairytale idea of how it would all work itself out and it never did, and that made me wonder if you'd ever really cared about me at all. That's why I never made the first move, I thought you really were over me.'

'Fair enough but in my defence, you led me to believe that you were over me. If I had any idea how you felt, I would've been on your doorstep again within a second. But I figured you were over me and by any miraculous chance you weren't, after the way you acted, it was your turn to do the begging. That's why I never came back.'

'I know and you're right, it was my turn. I was just too stupid and deluded to recognize that. I'm so sorry, even though we broke up because of your mistake, I've made a lot more mistakes in the last two months.'

'It's okay, it's all in the past now. Anything else you'd like to say?'

'Yeah umm, why Casey? I mean why not some random?'

'Because when I saw you in nothing but his shirt and you slammed the door in my face, it broke my heart Summer. I was devastated and miserable but most of all, I was seriously pissed off. I couldn't believe you'd just forgotten about me and fucked the biggest asshole in the planet, or so I thought, without giving me the chance to explain. I knew you hated her and I wasn't stupid enough to think that you were so over me that it wouldn't bother you, so I went to her. I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me.'

'Well congratulations, it worked,' Summer mumbled, not looking at him.

'I know and I'm sorry, I was stupid.'

'It's okay,' she replied as she wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him gently, 'we've got a chance for a fresh start and we're gonna last this time, it's gonna be perfect.'

'Damn right it is,' Seth said with a grin, 'you know why.'

'Why?'

'Because we've both had pretty crappy lives for different reasons. I've always been an outcast and you've never had a family, so we're long overdue some happiness. We deserve to be happy, we deserve this, we deserve each other.'

'Well we've got each other now and you're right, I am happy, happier than I've ever been,' Summer replied with a huge grin and a quick kiss. 'You're all I need Cohen, as long as I've got you I'll always be happy.'

'Right back at ya my darling, right back at ya.'

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After a five minute quickie, the two teens walked downstairs, fingers strongly linked. Everything was finally resolved and it was the best feeling in the world to be young, in love and issue free. They were together again and the whole world knew it. Both felt that life had never been better.

They walked into the kitchen to find his parents, Ryan and Marissa all crowded round the breakfast bar. 'What the hell is she doing here,' Ryan said with a look of disgust as soon as he saw Summer. She looked down at her feet, she was in too good a mood to want to get in a screaming match.

'Drop it man,' Seth said sharply as he went over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, 'we're back together and I'm happy again,' he added as he walked back over to Summer and handed her a bottle before pulling her into him and placing a soft kiss on her temple.

'What the hell man,' Ryan said angrily, 'she ruins you're life and makes you attempt suicide, then all she has to do is say sorry and you take her back with open arms. You're insane Seth, she's like a cancerous disease, she'll eat away at you until you're dead.'

'Shut the hell up Ryan,' Seth snapped, 'you don't have a God damn clue what you're talking about. Yes she made some mistakes but so did I, and we've forgiven each other because that's what people who love each other do.'

'Seth, you can't honestly think she loves you,' Marissa said in disbelief. 'She just feels guilty or something.'

'Coop, you have no idea how sorry I am,' Summer said quietly, tears threatening to fall. 'But he was the one I hurt, not you or Chino, and if he can forgive me then surely you can, Sandy and Kirsten have.' Ryan and Marissa looked at his parents who both nodded.

'Well forgive me for being sceptical,' Ryan said snidely, 'but why the hell should we believe that you won't do something like this again?'

'Because things are different this time. I completely trust him and we've told each other how we feel. I know he loves me now and he knows I love him, I'm never gonna do anything to risk that ever again.'

'Besides,' Seth said angrily to Ryan, 'if anyone has the right to be mad here, it's me at you.'

'Why, what the hell have I done?'

'You told me she never came to the hospital when actually she brought me in, she saved my life.'

'I know but after what she did she had no right to be there. I thought you wouldn't want her there when you woke up so I made sure she wasn't.' Seth's eyes narrowed menacingly at his brothers words.

'What do you mean?' he spat venomously.

'I umm……………I uhh, I-'

'He picked me up, dragged me out your room and locked me out. Not before Coop slapped me across the face though,' she added with a dirty glare at her so called "best friend". Seth's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

'So you really were there in the room because I thought I heard you in my "awake but can't wake up" phase.' Summer nodded. 'I was sure it was you and I was sure you sounded desperate, that's what made me wake up.'

'Well I was there and I was desperate. I would've stayed all night and begged for you to wake up and whispered in your ear how much I love you but I never got the chance. I was dragged away kicking and screaming.'

'Why the hell didn't you stop him?' Seth said angrily to his parents.

'Leave it Seth, it wasn't their fault. He convinced them that I shouldn't be allowed to stay,' Summer said with an icy glare at Ryan. Seth's mouth was open. He was shocked and horrified that his brother, someone that was supposed to always look out for his best interests, could do such an evil thing.

'You're an asshole you know that _"brother"_,' Seth spat viciously, 'never talk to me again.' With that, he grabbed Summer's hand and went to drag her out the kitchen.

'Seth wait,' Ryan said pleadingly, causing Seth to turn round and glare intensely at him, 'what can I do, tell me what to do to make this right and I'll do it.'

'You can forgive Summer for a start.' Ryan bit his lip as if deeply considering it. Seth couldn't believe that he even had to think about it. As far as he was concerned, it was that or their friendship was over.

'You know I only did what I thought was best for you right,' Ryan mumbled. Seth just rolled his eyes.

'Forgive Summer or we are no longer friends or brothers Ry, what's it gonna be?'

'Fine, I'm sorry I treated you so badly Summer. I know it was wrong and I promise it'll never happen again,' he said with a sigh.

'Its fine Chino, I know you were upset and I kinda deserved it,' Summer said with a warm smile. 'What about you Coop,' she added nervously.

'Of course I'll forgive you, you're like a sister to me,' she squealed, moving forward and wrapping her in a tight hug. 'I'm sorry I slapped you,' she mumbled sheepishly.

'It's okay,' Summer replied with a small laugh, 'I've gone rage blackout on your ass hundreds of times so it was about time I got something back.' The two girls giggled while Seth and Ryan shared a manly thug style hug and the two adults looked on smiling.

'Great, now that that's been sorted, let's get the grill fired up,' Sandy said happily. Seth rolled his eyes.

'God dad, it's always about the food with you isn't it,' he said with a grin, knowing he was exactly the same.

'Shut up Cohen,' Summer ordered.

'No, you shut up woman,' he replied with a grin, sticking his tongue out at her.

'Oh you did not just tell me to shut up, I will so kick your ass.'

'Bring it on bi-atch, I've been working out a bit in the last two months and I fancy my chances now,' Seth countered with a challenging smirk. Summer stared at him blankly for a few seconds before launching herself at him. He dodged her and ran out the double doors into the garden. The other four just shook their heads amusedly as they heard a lot of girly shrieking, mostly from Seth. A second later they heard what they'd all expected. 'OW OW OW, okay I'm sorry, please let me go.' They all laughed, some things would never change.

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An hour later things were definitely back to normal. The four teens were sat in the poolhouse, all anger and issues seemingly forgotten. Seth and Ryan were kicking the shit out of each other on the playstation while Summer and Marissa were sat on the window ledge, gossiping and giggling. It was just like old times, and they were all ecstatic about that.

'Hey umm, I'm gonna go to the loo okay,' Summer said as she got up, walking over and giving Seth a peck on the lips, 'back in a few.'

'Okay, I'll miss you,' Seth said in a baby voice and puppy dog eyes. Summer smirked and rolled her eyes.

'I'll miss you too baby,' she said, pinching his cheeks and patting his head like a dog. 'It'll be the longest two minutes of my life,' she added sarcastically. Seth grinned, he loved the fact that they had slipped back into bantering mode so easily.

'Hey uhh, can you bring back a bag of Doritos original please.'

'No,' Summer said with a scowl, 'get up and get them yourself you lazy asshole, I'm not your slave.'

'So I'm your slave but it doesn't work both ways,' he asked incredulously.

'Exactly,' she replied with a sweet smile and a nod.

'That's it, I've had enough of this,' Seth said strongly, 'you are the woman, I am the man and I command you to bring me some fucking Doritos,' he said, his voice rising until he was almost bellowing. The whole poolhouse filled with deadly silence for a few seconds until everyone, including Seth, burst into laughter.

'Y-you command me,' Summer gasped through her howls, 'that's a good one Cohen.' Seth grinned and sighed.

'Please bring back some Doritos,' he begged with his puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist, 'I wuv you.' Summer sighed and rolled her eyes although she had a big grin on her face.

'Finnnne, I'll bring back some damn Doritos if they mean that much to you,' she said as she turned to leave, 'oh and, I wuv you too baby.' Seth smiled, happy that he had gained a rare personal victory over her.

'You guys are crazy,' Ryan said amusedly.

'Crazy Ryan, or crazy in love?' Seth retorted.

'I gotta hand it to you, you really do work well together. By the looks of things, I think you just might last this time.'

'Me too man, me too.'

Back in the house, Summer hadn't gone to the toilet, she'd gone in search of his parents. She found them cuddled together on the couch in the den. 'Hey guys,' she said brightly as she sat down on a chair opposite them.

'Hey Summer, what's up?' Sandy replied.

'Well umm, I wanted to talk to you about something.'

'Oh my God, please tell me you're not pregnant,' Kirsten immediately said. Summer rolled her eyes.

'No I'm not freaking pregnant. Why is it whenever I tell an adult I need to talk to them, they immediately assume I'm pregnant. Do I have "I'm stupid enough to get knocked up at seventeen" written across my forehead or something?'

'No, sorry,' Kirsten mumbled sheepishly, 'anyway, what is it?'

'Well umm, I know you told Seth that it was possible you may make him move schools, possibly even move away. Well I'll get down on my knees and beg if I have to, please don't do that. I know its totally up to you and I'll respect your decision whatever you decide, but we only just got back together and I really do love him and I don't think I could stand him being taken away from me again. I need to be with him, we pretty much depend on each other to survive.'

'I know where you're coming from Summer I really do,' Sandy replied with a sigh, 'and we're gonna sit down and have a long discussion about it. While we can't make any promises, I think it's pretty safe to say that we can rule out moving away from Newport, right honey?' Kirsten nodded affirmative and Summer breathed a deep sigh of relief. Even if they took him out of Harbor, he'd still be in Newport.

'Thanks guys,' she said, grinning widely. 'Right I'm gonna go, Seth's whining about Doritos,' she added. The two adults laughed.

'That sounds like my son alright,' Sandy said through his chuckles. Summer smirked and nodded. She got off the chair and began to walk out but turned around at Kirsten calling her name.

'I know he can be annoying and whiney and drive you insane, but he really is a good kid and I can see he really loves you too. Although I'm extremely biased because I'm his mother I'd suggest you hang onto him, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone better.' Summer smiled and nodded.

'I know he's far from perfect but that doesn't matter because he is perfect in my eyes, everything about him. You're right, he is sometimes whiney and annoying and a major ass but I wouldn't change anything about him. H-he, he's just……………he's my Cohen,' she said with a dreamy grin. That was the only way to describe him, he was hers and he was perfect. The two adults smiled at each other, it was obvious how head over heels she was. Summer blushed and gave a shy wave before practically skipping out the room.

She returned to the poolhouse, bag of Doritos in hand. 'Here you go assface,' she said as she collapsed on the bed next to him.

'Thanks bitch.' Summer smirked and jabbed him in the arm. 'Ooh you're gonna get it now,' he said with a grin as he threw away the controller and grabbed her waist.

'NO, SETH,' Summer shrieked as he began to tickle her ribcage. She squirmed to free herself from his grip but he had her in an awkward position that she couldn't get out of. 'COHEN, LET ME GO NOW OR I WILL RIP YOUR BALLS OFF,' she shrieked breathlessly through her howls of laughter. Seth just grinned at her a tickled her harder. 'COHEN…………I-I'M GON…………I'M GONNA PEE,' she gasped. He smirked and released her. Summer glared at him and punched him but he did his cute pouty face that she found irresistible. She grinned and grabbed his shirt, pulling him on top of her and kissing him passionately. She moaned into his mouth as he deepened the kiss and she instantly started getting hot. They'd had sex four times in the eight or so hours they'd been back together but after two months of nothing, she was still as horny as hell. Ryan couldn't stand it anymore when their hands started to roam each other's bodies.

'Guys, if you're gonna "rekindle your relationship", please go and do it somewhere else. Me and Marissa don't really get off watching other people do it,' he said disgustedly. The two teens pulled apart and grinned apologetically.

'What time is it,' Summer asked.

'Umm, nine thirty,' Marissa chimed in.

'Right, I best go home,' she said with a sigh, 'I really need a shower,' she added, an embarrassed blush creeping into her cheeks.

'Ew, really don't need to know,' Marissa countered.

'Shut up Coop, you've been needing regular showers whereas this is the first time I've "needed a shower" in the last two months if you know what I mean.' Marissa's eyes widened at her words.

'So you mean you and Tyrone never-'

'Hell no, the guy is a complete asshole so there was no way I was ever gonna do it with him. We did everything else and that literally made me vomit, it was gross.'

'Really, what about you Seth? Did you and Casey, you know?' Seth shook his head.

'While I didn't find her gross, she just wasn't Summer.' Summer smiled at his words and wrapped her arms round him from behind.

'I love you,' she whispered quietly in his ear so that the other two couldn't hear. Seth smiled and twisted his head round to give her a gentle kiss. 'Right, I'm gonna go, walk me out?' He nodded, standing up and pulling her up. 'See ya tomorrow guys,' she said brightly to Ryan and Marissa. They said bye simultaneously and both gave her a small wave, which she returned before grabbing Seth's hand and dragging him out the room. 'Bye guys,' she shouted to Sandy and Kirsten who were still snuggled on the couch.

'Bye Summer, come back soon,' Kirsten shouted in reply.

'And bring some bagels,' Sandy added, 'Ow, honey.' Summer giggled at their little exchange. It reminded her of another couple who bickered and bantered and only had eyes for each other and might, just might, last forever too.

'Okay I will do,' Summer shouted through her chuckles. She stepped out the front door and Seth followed her. She instinctively turned to face him and snaked her arms round his neck while his curled around her waist and pulled her into him.

'Can you believe how awesome this day turned out to be,' Seth said happily.

'Yeah it was kinda great. I'm just happy everything worked out, I was starting to give up hope.'

'Can I ask, how did you find me on the beach, I didn't think you'd leave the party.'

'Well I felt so guilty about what I'd done that I went to have sex with him,' Summer replied sadly. 'It was the closest I'd ever got, we were both ready and he had a condom on and it just hit me, even if I did have sex with him I was never gonna get over you, it was always gonna be you. So I stopped him and told him I couldn't do it because my heart belonged to you. He tried to stop me but I totally kicked his ass before going to find you, to tell you I loved you. I guess I just knew where you'd be, I know you better than you know yourself.' Seth smiled at her words.

'Thank you. You save my life.'

'Yeah but that hardly makes up for the fact that it was me who nearly cost you it.'

'It doesn't matter because everything worked out in the end. I love you Summer, that's bigger than any mistakes you've made.'

'I love you too Cohen,' she replied with a teary smile, leaning up and give him a big kiss. 'Right, I'm gonna go now before I start crying again. I'll see you at school tomorrow though?'

'Yes you will, and I'll be expecting plenty of PDA,' he said with a cheeky grin.

'Oh don't you worry about that. I want everyone to know that you belong to me and if they ever try to mess with us, I'll go so rage blackout on their ass that what's left of them will be able to fit in a jar.' Seth burst into laughter.

'There she is, the violent little psychopath that I love,' he said through his chuckles. Summer smiled and leant up for a final kiss before turning and walking off. Seth gave her a little wave before disappearing into his house. She strolled a few hundred yards down the street to where she'd parked her car. She'd parked it on the road because she couldn't exactly have parked in the Cohen driveway yesterday when she was supposed to be staying away. She collapsed in the driver's seat, put her head back on the headrest and sighed happily. She pulled out her phone and flipped it open. Her screensaver was a picture of him. She smiled and ran her fingers across the heart pendant with their initials on that was fastened around her neck.

'God I am so crazy,' she whispered to herself with a sigh, 'because even though you're a whiney, rambling little dork and I only left two minutes ago, I miss you already.'

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Seth sat in the back of Marissa's car, astounded that he was actually happy that he was going to school. Ryan had said that nobody had found out about the whole him nearly dying ordeal so that was a good thing. He didn't want the whole school thinking he was suicidal as well as a complete loser. He was a little bit nervous too. Summer was spontaneous and unpredictable and Seth figured that even though she'd said she wanted the whole world to know about them, it was a real possibility that he could pull up to school this morning to find she had changed her mind.

When the car pulled up and he hopped out Seth glanced around nervously, looking for his girlfriend. They walked into the middle of the crowded court, it was a warm and sunny early May morning so the whole school was out. He looked in all directions for Summer, there was no sign of her.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar pair of arms snake round his waist from behind. Seth turned around and grinned at her. 'Boo,' she said with a grin before grabbing the back of his head and pulling his lips down to meet hers. Their tongues entertained each other passionately. Summer twirled his curls in her fingers while he gently ran his hands across her hips. 'Morning baby, was that enough PDA for you?' she said sweetly when they parted.

'Umm, it was satisfactory. I'd give it a seven,' he replied with a flustered grin. Summer giggled and gave him a playful dig in the ribs.

'Everybody's looking at us,' she whispered, biting her lower lip nervously as her eyes darted around the crowd of 200 plus people, most of whom were gawping at them.

'I know, it's great isn't it,' Seth said happily. 'People are actually noticing me, Seth Cohen.'

'I don't think they're noticing you Cohen, I think they're noticing a popular girl making out with a huge geek,' she said teasingly with a smirk.

'Ouch Summer, that really hurts here you know,' he replied, closing his eyes and bringing his hand up to his heart. Summer giggled and leant up to kiss him again.

'You know what, this ain't so bad,' she said when they parted. 'I think I just might be able to handle all the bitches,' she added, looking around at all the giggling and whispering girls with a death glare.

'Well you know what they say, all publicity is good publicity. Besides, I give it two weeks before an even bigger scandal comes along and we're completely forgotten about. Just you watch, we'll be back to normal within a week. You'll still be popular, I still won't, the only difference is that we're together.'

'Yeah I suppose, not that it really matters anyway. Even becoming unpopular is worth it if that's what it takes for everyone to know I'm with you.'

'Well don't worry, that's not gonna happen. People will get over the shock, we'll be just another high school couple before you know it. Anyway, let's go.' He extended his hand and she smiled and took it. They strolled towards the entrance and the crowd seemed to part for them. Everyone was whispering and giving them funny looks but neither of them cared. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

Summer walked into first period chemistry and was instantly bombarded with questions from her so called friends.

'Summer, why are you with him?'

'Summer, is he really romantic because he looks like the type?'

'Sure he's really cute Summer but he's still a huge dork, don't you think it's bad for your reputation?'

'Summer, what's he like in bed?'

'Is he big downstairs Summer?'

'Whoa, umm, okayyyy,' Summer said, taken aback at their level of interest. 'Well the answer to all of your questions is none of your freaking business,' she replied with a sweet smile. 'All you need to know is that I love him, I love being with him and if you don't like that, you can go to hell.' With that, she walked away from the group of stunned girls and looked for a place to sit, preferably away from them. She spotted Casey sat all alone. 'Hey umm, is this seat taken?' she asked nervously. Casey rolled her eyes.

'Come to rub it in have you. Well don't bother, I don't think it's possible to feel any worse than I already do.'

'I haven't come to gloat Casey,' Summer said reassuringly, sitting down much to the other girl's displeasure. 'I just wanted to see how you were doing. Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through and I know it ain't nice.'

'Well thanks for pointing out the obvious,' she said with a sweet smile but the bitterness was evident, 'now can you please leave me alone.'

'Come on Casey I'm trying here,' Summer replied pleadingly. 'Believe it or not, Seth really does care about you and what he cares about matters to me. So I was kinda hoping that we could put aside everything that's gone on between us in the past and try and be friends, for his sake.'

'Why would you wanna do that, we couldn't be friends. Apart from the fact that we both have feelings for him, we have like nothing in common.'

'Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that,' Summer said with a grin, 'I happen to know about this totally awesome sale on Zach Posen couture up in LA this weekend.' Casey's eyes lit up.

'Really, I love Zach Posen,' she said excitedly.

'Me too, Marissa hates him so I need someone to go with. We should totally hit it this weekend,' Summer squealed. Casey bit her lip as if thinking about it.

'Sure why not. I mean I lost most of my friends when I started dating Seth so it would be kinda cool to go shopping with someone else who likes fashion again.'

'Exactly. Although he says I won't, I fully expect to lose most of my friends now everyone knows I'm with him too. I don't really care though, I'd choose him over those skanks any day. So this Saturday then, we can spend assloads of money on sweet clothes then go for lunch at the ivy. Who knows, we may even be able to land a young, hot, rich businessman for you,' she added with a grin.

'Sure, sounds like fun,' Casey replied with a smile.

'Awesome.'

Seth was in history which meant that Seth was bored. And when Seth got bored he usually asked to go to the toilet then wandered the empty corridors for a few minutes. He shuffled past the chemistry class that he knew Summer was in and had a quick look through the door window. He instantly spotted her. She was sat at the back whispering and giggling with……………wait……………WHAT, CASEY!! She was sat talking with her worst enemy and his recent ex girlfriend as if they were BFF's.

He stood there dumbfounded until they both looked up and saw him. They both smiled and gave him a wave, which he returned. Summer then blew him a kiss, closely followed by Casey. He watched in amusement as Summer gave her a jab in the arm and scolded her. It was like they were old friends and the sight made him incredibly happy. He was glad that Casey seemed to be okay and that Summer was actually making an effort. He loved Casey, in a Laura way not a Summer way, and Summer obviously trusted him enough to try and keep her in his life.

He turned and walked back towards shitty history, happy that absolutely everything was working out more perfectly than he had ever imagined. He was back with the love of his life, he was staying in Newport and Summer was friends with Ryan and Marissa again, and seemingly trying to be friends with Casey. Yes this was certainly turning out to be an incredibly fucked up couple of days, in the most awesome possible way of course.

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'Hey, I missed you at lunch today,' Seth said as he saw Summer approaching Marissa's car.

'Yeah sorry about that, I had something I had to do,' Summer replied as she reached him, not before giving him a lingering kiss though.

'What's that?'

'Well I umm, I went to your house,' she said with a mischievous grin.

'What, why?'

'Your mom let me in, I went to borrow this,' she said with a grin as she pulled out his Swiss army knife from her purse. Seth took it from her, his, Ryan and Marissa's mouth's all hanging open in horror.

'Oh God. Summer, who have you stabbed?' She rolled her eyes.

'I haven't killed anyone jackass, though it did take all my willpower not to.'

'Then what the hell did you need this for?' He didn't even need to wait for an answer from her, as it came loud and clear from across the parking lot in the form of a huge shriek.

'OH MY GOD, MY CAR!!' Seth turned to see Holly crying into her friend's shoulder. He looked down at her car and saw that all four tyres had been slashed to pieces. The trio turned back to Summer who had an innocent grin on her face.

'Summer, please tell me you didn't,' Marissa said in a disapproving voice.

'Didn't what?' She replied in an angelic voice but her eyes told a whole different story.

'Summer, I know you don't like her but what the hell possessed you to do this?' Seth said, shaking his head amusedly.

'Well I was talking to Casey and she told me that it was actually all that skank's idea to break us up. It was her doing that we were miserable for two months, you think I was gonna let her get away with that.'

'Oh well in that case, nice work girl,' he replied with a grin, pulling her into his and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

'Thanks. I'm nowhere near done yet though. As far as I'm concerned, it's not gonna be over until high school's finished. There's at least another year where that came from.' Seth grinned and rolled his eyes.

'So I saw you with Casey in class, are you friends now or what?'

'Well we're trying, we're going shopping in LA this weekend.'

'Cool. And it's okay with you if I'm still friends with her right?' he asked nervously.

'Of course, I trust you Cohen. In fact, that's why I'm doing this. I know you care about her and me not liking her shouldn't mean she can't be in your life.'

'You are the best girlfriend ever,' he said with a massive smile, catching her in a passionate kiss.

'I know,' Summer said sweetly when they parted. 'So what are you doing now?'

'Absolute shit,' Seth said with a shrug.

'Do you wanna come over then?'

'Depends what you wanna do.'

'I think you know what I wanna do,' she replied with a suggestive grin, leaning up and giving him a deep kiss.

'Finnnne,' Seth said with a sigh when they parted, 'it better be good though.'

'Oh it will be Cohen,' Summer replied, waving at Ryan and Marissa before grabbing his hand and dragging him towards her own car, 'April and Jack have just got back together but family issues are about to tear them apart again.'

'Wow, that sounds umm…………lame. Ow, okay not lame, so not lame.'

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_**TWO WEEKS LATER**_

'OH MY GOD, this is so AWESOME,' Summer squealed.

'I know, it does look pretty damn good.' She turned round to see Seth seriously checking her out. She blushed and grinned and held out her hands. He took them and she dragged him out onto the balcony.

'Look at that view,' she said dreamily as she rested her head back on his chest and his arms curled round her waist. They were staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park. They were in a ridiculously expensive suite on the fifteenth floor and considering the hotel was on a bit of a hill, they had a magnificent view of the city.

'Believe me, I'm looking at the view.' She turned her head to see that he had his head rested on her shoulder and was staring straight down her top.

'STOP IT,' she shrieked, blushing furiously and giving him a playful slap. 'You should know that naughty boys don't get any treats,' she added teasingly.

'Ahem, we're in New York City an extremely overpriced hotel and I've booked us into a fancy restaurant for tonight. Plus we've got tickets for this stupid figure skating thing tomorrow that even though I consider it a total waste of eight hours of my life that I'm never gonna get back, I'm willing to go because you love it and I love you. Bearing all that in mind, how exactly am I a naughty boy?' Seth countered with raised eyebrows.

'Okay so maybe you're not a naughty boy. Maybe you're an amazing, sweet but annoying boy that I love, but there's one thing I'm damn sure you are and that Cohen, is a freaking pervert.'

'Umm Summer, do you know what the difference between a guy and a pervert is?' Before she had the chance to reply, Seth cut her off with the answer. 'NOTHING Summer. Pervert equals guy, guy equals pervert. Pervert plus guy equals two perverts, or two guys whichever way you wanna look at it. If you looked up pervert in the dictionary it would say see guy, and if you looked up guy it would say see pervert. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?'

'Honestly, no not really. You are one hell of a rambling geek Cohen,' she said with a teasing grin to which he replied with a roll of the eyes.

'What I'm saying is that all guys like to stare at women's boobs, it's just a part of life.'

'And you couldn't have just said that to begin with,' she countered teasingly.

'Oh shut up woman, you couldn't possibly underst-' He was cut off by Summer crashing her lips against his.

'Why don't we put that wagging tongue of yours to better use huh,' she whispered between kisses as she pushed him off the balcony back into the room. She pushed him onto his back on the bed and straddled him, grinding her hips against his as she brought her mouth down for another kiss. She moaned into his mouth, feeling herself getting really hot really fast. She sat up on him and ripped her tanktop over her head faster than the speed of light, leaving him drooling at the sight of her huge perky breasts clad in nothing but a lacy red bra.

She started gyrating her hips against his again, causing him to moan in delight. 'Take it off,' she ordered through heavy breathing, motioning to his shirt.

'Summer, we have to be at the restaurant in two hours and it takes you one and a half to get ready, we really haven't got time for this' he moaned in reply, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that she was rubbing her crotch against his, causing him to harden rapidly.

'Fuck dinner Cohen,' Summer whispered seductively while running her tongue across his neck. 'Actually, don't fuck dinner,' she said as she looked at him with a horny grin, 'fuck me.' Seth grinned and shook his head as he leaned up to kiss her.

'I swear, you are gonna be the death of me someday Summer Roberts,' he groaned between passionate kisses.

'Yeah because I'll probably end up killing you, you whiney little asshole,' she whispered with a little laugh. 'But right now I don't want to kill you, I just want you.'

'Well I love you Summer so if you want me, you got me.'

Two hours later, when they were supposed to be dining at an incredibly posh restaurant that Caleb had managed to get them reservations for, the two teens were wrapped snugly in each others arms in bed. They were sat in peaceful silence, Seth sat up against the headboard with Summer leaning back against him.

'I love you,' Summer spoke up out of nowhere. Seth smiled into her shoulder. Even though they'd said it hundreds of times since they'd been back together, it still made his stomach do somersaults every time he heard it. It definitely hadn't lost any of its meaning.

'I love you too but is that you or the amazing sex talking,' he said teasingly.

'Yeah it's probably the sex,' she jibed back. Seth smirked and dug his fingers into her ribs, causing her to squirm and give the little giggle that lit up his world.

'So that's Newport, New York and Mexico we've done the deed in. What is this, the screw our way across North America tour?'

'Oh my God we should totally do that,' Summer squealed. Seth grinned and rolled his eyes.

'What like every major city in America, Canada and Mexico,' he said sarcastically.

'City, more like town. And you're forgetting Alaska.' Seth laughed at her words.

'Yeah I'd love to see you, the girl who's practically lived her whole life on the beach, try to survive in Alaska.'

'Well there's nothing like a steamy round of sex to keep the body warm and the blood pumping. I'm serious, we should totally go to Alaska.'

'What just to have sex, you're crazy girl,' Seth replied, shaking his head and grinning.

'Yeah but that's why you love me,' Summer countered.

'Yeah I suppose it is,' Seth mumbled, kissing the back of her neck. 'So it's settled then, we're officially going on a screw our way across America tour. I can totally picture us going at it up against the bathroom wall of a gas station in the middle of the Texan desert.'

'Ew no way, truckstop's are gross. You'd never get me having sex in one.' Seth snorted. 'Okay so maybe if you stopped talking and started kissing you'd probably get me hot enough but that's not the point. Desert truckstop's are creepy, didn't the ride down to Mexico teach you anything?'

'Yeah, that you drive like a fucking nutjob,' Seth teased. Summer smirked and elbowed him in the ribs. They settled into peaceful silence again.

'I'm glad we're here,' Summer finally said after five minutes.

'Me too Summer. And to think, we nearly missed out on this, we were so stupid.'

'I know but it's all in the past now. We're back together and we're never gonna be apart again,' Summer replied, twisting her head round to kiss him passionately.

'So we're parent free and in New York, what do you wanna do tonight?' Seth asked when they pulled apart.

'Honestly, I don't care. As long as I'm with you, that's all that matters.'

_**THE END**_

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**A/N – So that's it folks. Even if you're reading this story six months after it's finished or whatever, please still leave a review, I'd still love to hear what you think. I'm gonna write a sequel but I'll be taking some time off to do some smaller stories first, look out for them. A huge big thanks to anyone who left one of the four hundred reviews at the time I'm writing this, I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Finally, drive safely, drink responsibly and safe sex only people. Look out for me, I'll be back. PEACE OUT.**


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